Love, Lies, and Glee
by XRaindropsX
Summary: Rachel made the biggest mistake of her life hiding the fact that she had had Finn's baby six years ago when she had run off to NYC. Now she's back, running from something from New York, but what is it? What will Finn say when he finds out?
1. Chapter 1: The Return

This is just an idea I have been playing with for awhile. Please let me know what you think. Should I continue? Please leave a review. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 <strong>

**The Return**

She couldn't believe what she was doing. Why was she coming back here? What was here for her to come back to? What had changed? What hadn't? She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently as she stopped at a red light. Sighing, she leaned back as far as she could in the car seat. Glancing over, she looked at her son Ryder. Smiling, she tousled his hair as she so often did.

He glanced up at her, a smile on his face as he stuffed the McDonald's French fry in his mouth. She usually didn't give him fast food, but they had been in a rush this morning, and she had no other option. She'd been on the road for a two days now. From where she was living in New York City to Lima, Ohio was about a ten hour drive. Being cooped up in a car for that long wasn't good for Ryder, so she had made several stops, and had stopped for the night earlier than she would have if it had been herself.

She would normally have flown, but it was too risky to do so. This way, she could pay for everything via cash. She wouldn't be followed nearly as easily. Not that she made trips home very often. In fact, she hadn't been home once since she graduated McKinley High School. She hadn't been in contact with anyone from the Glee club.

"Mom, are we almost there?" Ryder asked, rubbing his eyes brown eyes.

Rachel smiled at him as she moved his dark brown hair out of his eyes and made a mental note to set him up with a hair appointment as soon as they got settled into their new home. "We're nearly there, sweetie. Five more minutes, okay?"

Ryder nodded and went back to eating his food before finding pleasure in the toy. Rachel smiled as the light turned green and she was able to go again. Gripping the steering wheel as she entered Lima Ohio, she wondered what would await them

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>The apartment complex was quaint, to say the least. It was the cheapest one she had been able to find. She didn't have much money, so anything bigger was too far out of her price range. Lima was a small town, especially when compared to New York City. It was going to take some getting used to again. Luckily, she was living in the down town area; hopefully she wouldn't be seeing many people that recognized her.<p>

"Where's my room?" Ryder asked as they looked around the apartment. It was a one bedroom apartment with a single bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.

Rachel grabbed her bags and walked to the far room. "This one is yours, Ryder." It was small, smaller than his last room. But, he didn't complain as he grabbed his bags and put them onto his bed. "Why don't you unpack your things in here, and I'll start in the kitchen, alright? Come on out when you're finished." She smiled as she headed back out and into the kitchen.

It didn't take very long to get everything put away; they hadn't brought very many things, as not much had been able to fit in her car. Now, there was the manner of figuring out what to do with her stuff. None of her clothes would fit in Ryder's closet. He had his own things. Opening the linen closet, Rachel decided that this would be where she kept her clothes. She'd be able to sleep on the couch and call it good.

The only expensive thing she was able to bring was her computer. She set it up in the living room on the table and turned it on. She decided to go check on Ryder as the computer turned on. He was in the middle of his room, playing with his toys. Clothes sticking out of the edges of his dresser drawers. Rachel couldn't help but laugh.

"Looks like you got a lot done," she said from the doorway. Pushing off of the door frame, Rachel grabbed her suitcases and finished unpacking. She had allowed him to bring the most amount of stuff since she felt bad uprooting him and dragging him along with her. But, she couldn't stay in New York anymore. She had to get away.

"Mommy, can we go out and play?" Ryder asked, setting down his race care and looking up at her with pleading eyes that reminded her so much of his father.

Rachel could never say no when he gave her those puppy dog eyes. "Sure. Let's go to the park. You'd like that, right? Get to know the neighborhood a little," she suggested.

"Ya!" Ryder jumped up, grabbing his shoes, and before they knew it, they were walking down the street.

Nothing had changed in the six years she had been gone. Everything was the same. The park came into view, and Ryder took off running towards it. Rachel smiled as she watched him climb the equipment. There were a few other kids playing in the sand, and it wouldn't take long for him to go introduce himself and begin playing with them. He was an extrovert, something he got from his mom.

Taking a seat at the nearest swing, she pumped her legs back and forth. It felt so good to be back; better than she thought it would. She had missed the small town. She hadn't lived up her dreams. Having had Ryder right out of high school had robbed her of going to Julliard. She had gone for a year, but she couldn't keep up with the homework, and so she was forced to drop out and focus on a life with Ryder. She regretted nothing. Ryder was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"Rachel?" a voice from behind her caught her attention.

Whipping her head around, she was surprised. She hadn't expected to run into anyone this soon. "Kurt," she breathed, glad it was him and not someone else. She jumped off of her perch and greeted him with a hug. "What are you doing here?" she asked him. Blaine was right behind Kurt, and she hugged him as well.

"I think I should be the one asking you that," Kurt countered, giving her a surprised look.

Rachel grabbed a chunk of her hair and began playing with it. She cast a glance behind her towards Ryder, and saw him playing with a little girl. Turning her attention back to the two boys in front of her, she wasn't sure how she was going to answer them.

"I moved back for awhile. I'm not sure how long, yet," she replied nervously. She didn't want them to judge her.

"Does anyone even know you are here?" Kurt asked her suspiciously.

"No," she shook her head. "And, I want to keep it that way for awhile. If people find out, I want it to be because I told them."

Kurt nodded. "Fine, but you better tell them soon."

"Kurt, we have to go," your parents are waiting for us," Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's arm. "It was nice seeing you again, Rachel. We'll have to catch up sometime, okay?"

Rachel nodded. "That'd be fun." She waved as they left. Sighing, she turned around, wondering how long she could keep out of sight before the rest of the Glee members found out she was back in town.

"Rachel?" another voice caught her attention.

"Jesse?"

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><p>Who's Ryder's father? What is Rachel hiding?<p>

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Back in Town

Thank you guys! I didn't expect to get so many people favoriting/alerting/ reviewing my story! Because of that, I got this done and decided to upload earlier than what I had planned! I hope you continue to follow this story! Please let me know what you think. Should I continue? Please leave a review, it makes me update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Back in Town**

"Jesse?" Rachel was just as surprised to see her ex-boyfriend standing before her as he was to see her back in town after six years. He looked nearly the same. Older and gruffer, sure. But, he was still just as cute and adorable as he was back in high school. His hands in his pockets, the wind tousled his dark brown hair, which was shorter than she remembered.

"Rachel, how long have you been back in town?" Jesse asked, coming up beside her, where he took a seat on the swing next to her. He looked just as cocky as she remembered him being. He didn't seem like he had changed all that much after six years.

She shrugged her slim shoulders as she kicked at the sand with her shoe. "Not sure yet. For a little while anyway." She desperately wanted to change the subject. "What are you doing these days?" She felt rather silly talking to him. They had had no contact for six years, and now here she was again trying to talk to him like nothing had happened, like she hadn't abandoned everyone here.

He gave her a look, as though he knew what she was thinking before answering her question. "I own and manage a dance studio. I still help out the local Glee clubs when I get the chance." He held onto the chain that connected the swing to the set. "Speaking of Glee Club. Have you talked to any of the other members? They'll want to know you're back."

Rachel shook her head, looking out at Ryder as he slid down the metal slide before chasing after one of the boys he had gotten to know. She smiled slightly at the sight. "No. I haven't. Kurt and Blaine know, now. But, I haven't decided how I'm going to tell them."

Jesse followed her gaze over at the kids playing in the sand, a confused look displaying over his face. "Why are you back? When you left, everyone figured they would never see you again."

That's how it was supposed to be. She had had a baby, and she had been scared of what they would think of her. She wasn't ashamed of Ryder, not at all. But, she was now ashamed of how she had acted and behaved. If she could do that night all over again, she would. She'd take back every hateful word said; she'd go back and talk things out, and she definitely wouldn't have left like that.

"I needed to get away from New York," she admitted. She wasn't lying, but she was leaving out the important information, but Jesse didn't need to know anything more than that. Sure, Jesse had understood her nearly better than anyone else during high school, but she didn't think he'd understand. She said nearly because there was only one other person that knew her so well. Finn. She mentally shook her head. No, she couldn't go down that road again. She had shut that chapter of her life for a reason. Going back would hurt a lot of people.

"You had to get away from Julliard?" Jesse asked, doubtful. Jesse was picking up on her subtle hints of not wanting to talk about it, but he wanted to know. He needed to try and understand why she had left so much behind. He watched her curiously, wondering why she wouldn't stop staring at those kids.

Rachel glanced up at Jesse, who had been her best friend through High School. Jesse was the male version of Rachel. He was as big a diva as she was, and they just clicked together because they understood each other so well. But, they had found they made better friends than they did boyfriend and girlfriend. She missed having a confidant such as him while she was in New York. She hadn't had time to make many friends, nor had she ever been very good at making any on her own. Her over-bearing personality scared people away.

She wanted nothing more than to hug him and hope for things to go back to how they had been years ago. But, that was unrealistic and unfair of her to ask that of Jesse. Turning and looking at him, she whispered, "I'm not sure you'd like me if I told you the real story." She looked down, finding the grains of sand much more interesting than Jesse's face.

Jesse frowned. "Rach, you and I are best friends, and I figure that you had your reasons for leaving everything behind. I missed you, but I knew you had something going on that you didn't think you could tell anyone. While you're back, I'd like us to still be friends and to catch up." He got off the swing and reached out his hand towards her, wanting her to take his hand. He had missed his best friend. Without her, it was rather dull and quiet. No one was barking orders at him, and he had yet to find someone who could keep up with him vocally, mainly because he was so good that people had a hard time keeping up.

Rachel wanted to cry, as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. This was exactly where she wanted to be right now. Coming back to Lima, Ohio was a good decision. She felt almost safe here. "Let's go out for coffee, and we can catch up." He smiled at her, and she felt as though she would be ok. This could work.

She nodded. "That would be great." Just as she said that, Ryder came running over wanting some water. "Honey, we're going to go out for some drinks. Want some ice cream or something?" she asked her son, trying to ignore Jesse's ever present dropped mouth expression that was plastered on his confused face.

Ryder nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Can I get chocolate this time, Mom?" he asked as he jumped up and down excitedly.

Rachel chuckled. "You can get whatever you want."

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>They had stopped at an ice cream parlor where Ryder was furiously trying to lick the ice cream before it melted and dripped onto his hand, making him sticky. Jesse had stayed quiet for most of the walk over. He hadn't wanted to ask about the kid while the kid was there. He'd ask her as soon as the kid was out of the picture, asleep or off playing somewhere. Was he the reason Rachel had left and never came back?<p>

"Ryder, why don't you go to the bathroom and clean up?" Rachel told him as he finished his last bites of ice cream. They were close to the restrooms, so Rachel would be able to watch him as he made his way to the door. Ryder nodded and did what he was told.

Several silent seconds passed between Jesse and Rachel. "So, are you ever going to tell me whose kid that is?" Jesse finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. He was leaning forward in his chair, curious and suddenly serious.

Rachel sighed, having known that this conversation was going to have to happen eventually, she just wasn't sure how to start it. She ended up not saying anything and just stared at Jesse, hoping he'd ask more questions and make him guess. Because guessing the answer would be easier than having to tell him and saying the name out loud. She was such a coward, but she didn't know what else to do.

"How old is he?" he asked suddenly, breaking her train of thought. Jesse was oddly serious now, something she had only seen a handful of times.

She looked down as she whispered, "He's six and a half." She closed her eyes as she waited for him to put two and two together. Why was it always so hard for her to admit it out loud?

"That would mean you had him right out of high school," Jesse concluded, thinking for a moment. "Oh my God, Rach. Is he Finn's kid?" He had been a lot quicker than she would have given him credit for. He was usually too self absorbed to see anything passed himself. Usually. Rachel could only look at him sheepishly, ashamed of how she was acting, but unable to do anything else. "Does he know?"

Rachel looked into his eyes, surprised. She shook her head, hoping that Jesse wouldn't demand her to go tell him. She wasn't ready for that yet. She would do it eventually, but she wasn't strong enough to do so yet. Not yet. She felt like such an awful person for keeping this to herself all these years, robbing Finn of the chance to be a father, but she had no choice.

"My God, Rachel. We're talking about his kid. He deserves to know, to decide whether or not he wants to be a part of that kid's life. Ryder is as much his as he is yours, but you already knew that. Why do I have to tell you what you already know?" Jesse seemed upset about this, something that didn't happen very often.

"I know I do, but I can't decide how to do it. I can't just show up on his door step, 'hey Finn, here's this kid I never told you about.' It just doesn't work like that," Rachel replied, searching for excuses. Anything to defend her choice to keep this to herself.

"You can't just show up here after six years and think everything is going to go back exactly how they were. This is beyond serious, Rachel. If you don't tell him, I will," Jesse threatened. He and Finn weren't good friends or anything, but this was something much bigger than either of them. Something huge, something too important to let go. This was out of character for him, and he knew that, but he couldn't stand the thought that Rachel was going to keep this to herself. She came back, and now she had to face the consequences of her actions.

"No, don't tell him, Jesse!" she cried. "I'll do it, but I just have to figure out how. Give me a little bit, okay? I just got here." She had always planned on telling him, and now she had an excuse to make sure she did it instead of talking herself out of it.

"Tomorrow, Finn has the day off. I'll make sure he's in the park. You and Ryder can go there and see him and tell him everything," Jesse told her. He leaned back and took a drink of his coffee. The discussion was closed; there would be no further discussion on the matter. "Now," he decided to lighten the mood just as Ryder came back from washing his face and hands. "while you were gone, I received several trophies from the…."

Rachel tuned him out as he continued to talk about himself and all that he had accomplished in six years. She was going to tell Finn about Ryder tomorrow. How would he react? What was she going to say? Was Finn with anyone? Had he already settled down? What was going on with him? She knew next to nothing about him since she had left, which made her feel unsettled. She couldn't back down now. Not this time.

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><p>Ok. Next chapter we will see Finn, I promise. And, the other characters probably. It's been 6 years. Is he with someone? If so, who? What is he going to do when Rachel tell him? Will she really tell him?<p>

**Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting Up

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing, and I was able to produce this longer chapter for you! I hope this just as good! Please leave a review. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Meeting Up**

"Wake up, Ryder. You have got to get ready for school, or you are going to be late. You don't want to miss your first day, do you?" Rachel questioned her son as she set a bowl of cereal, Lucky Charms, his favorite, on the table for him. She put the milk in the fridge and placed the cereal box on the top of the fridge.

Ryder yawned as he stumbled into the kitchen. "Do I have to go?" he asked as he climbed onto the chair and picked up his spoon, digging into the cereal. His dark brown hair was sticking up in odd places, his bed head in full bloom this morning.

Rachel laughed as she grabbed a comb from her purse and fixed it for him. "Yes, you do. Now, we need to discuss which instrument you want to begin learning. I know you said you were interested in the piano, and do you want to take vocal lessons here, as well? There's a good vocalist. Also, if you want to take dance lessons, I can get a good deal at Jesse's studio." Rachel was in a whirl, trying to remember all the different classes she had been taking already at his age. Of course, she had already known what she had wanted to do since was born, so she had been rather dedicated. With Ryder, he hadn't ever really expressed how he felt on the matter.

"Mom, I don't want to take dance. That's for girls," Ryder shook his head, shoving a spoonful of marshmallows into his mouth. He looked as defiant as ever, something he picked up from his mother.

She sighed as she sat down. She couldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do, but she was a little disappointed. "Okay. That's fine, but just think about it, okay? Do you want to have me find someone that can give you voice lessons? How about an instrument? Any of those interesting to you?" she asked, hoping against hope that he'd want to do at least one of them.

Ryder looked into his cereal, thinking for a moment. "I'd like to play the drums," he admitted. Thoughts of Finn popped into her head at that moment. He had been a drummer, too. "And I'll only take singing lessons from you or Uncle Jesse. He seemed really cool."

Rachel chuckled. "I'm sure Jesse will love to hear that." It'd definitely stroke his ego, and she had to admit hearing her son wanting her to teach him made her feel very special and happy. She was going to stop by his studio and see if she could work under him; she needed to find a job. While she was there, she'd bring up the voice lessons. "I'll talk to him while you're in school." She grabbed the empty bowl from him now and set it in the sink.

Ryder ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom where he began to brush his teeth. She sighed as she grabbed his book bag and made sure he had everything he would need in it. It looked like everything was there. She went into his room and grabbed his jacket and shoes and brought them out for him. When he came out of the bathroom, the two proceeded to head to school. 

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>After a few papers were signed and turned in, Rachel was finally able to leave the school, and now Ryder was able to attend classes here. She hoped he'd be able to make friends; she felt so bad uprooting him from his prep school in New York and placing him here in a public school. But, she didn't have any money to send him to the private schools in town.<p>

Sighing, she walked down the street towards Jesse's studio. He ran the whole place by himself, and she was sure he could use a second person to help him take care of everything. Opening the door, she was greeted by warm air. Jesse's trophies were placed in glass trophies on both sides of the hallway. She smiled as she looked through them all. He was rather talented. A good man that could keep up with her own, well-to-do voice.

Walking down the short hallway, she found the small office area where he was sitting behind a desk, sorting through some papers. It seemed odd to Rachel to see him doing anything of the sort. He didn't come across as a person that worked real hard on all the details, but she supposed he would have to to make any money and keep the studio alive.

"You look rather absorbed," Rachel noted, startling Jesse, who had not heard her come in. She walked in and took a seat in the chair opposite him.

"Oh Rach, what are you doing here?" he asked as he shuffled through some papers and set them in a neat pile off to right. He stopped and over at her expectantly.

"I actually have somewhat of a favor to ask," she admitted. This made him raise an eyebrow in her direction, making her continue with her idea. "I'm in need of a job, and I knew that you had your own studio, and I couldn't help but think that I would be a good asset for you to have. I have numerous trophies of my own, and I can get you a resume if you want one. I thought that maybe you could start a singing class that I could help coach. I'll help with the paperwork," she offered, all in nearly one breath. She felt like she was selling herself.

Jesse chuckled. "Calm down, Rachel. I was actually going to offer you the position. You'd be a good asset for me, and I have been thinking about doing voice lessons, but I wasn't sure how I was going to do that by myself. You came at a good time."

Rachel let out a sigh of relief. "Good. When can I start?" she asked. The sooner the better, anything to keep herself busy and to engross herself into. She needed to let the past go. No one would find her here.

Jesse smiled and said, "Tomorrow morning as soon as you are done sending Ryder off to school." He grabbed a few pieces of paper and handed them to Rachel to fill out. "I'll need you to fill these out. State rules and all that," he shrugged.

Rachel frowned as she began filling them out. "Why can't I start today?" she asked him, as she wrote down her name and social security number.

"Because you have to talk to Finn this afternoon after lunch and I'm sure your dads will want to see you," he told her. He knew her so well. There was no way he was going to let her get away with not talking to Finn. It was something far more important than either of them would care to admit.

She sighed and handed over one of the completed applications. She knew he was right, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She had vowed to set things straight with Finn, but it was going to be harder than the time she had to come up with her own, original song. It had taken numerous failures for her to come up with the right song. She wondered if there was a song she could sing that would get across how she was feeling.

"Wait, Rachel, your name on here. Did you change your name? You and Finn didn't get married or anything, did you?" Jesse was more confused now than ever. She had put her name as Rachel Hudson on the application. Furrowing his brows, he waited for her to answer his ever pressing question.

She looked rather uncomfortable as she played with the ends of her hair. Looking out the window at the cars that passed by, she replied, "I changed my name to Hudson a month ago. I needed to get out of New York and start over somewhere." She stopped for a moment and looked Jesse in the eyes, hoping he wouldn't press her for details.

"And to start over, you had to come back to the beginning?" he asked her curiously. None of this made any sense. It seemed that the more he found out about Rachel, the less he actually knew. She was hiding a deep, dark secret. A big secret she didn't want anyone to know, but what was bigger than having had her ex boyfriend's child?

"I don't know why I came back here; it just felt right. I felt safer here. I can't explain it," she shook her head, trying to forget those awful memories that were plaguing her, that had been plaguing her for weeks now.

"Can't or won't?" Jesse pressed further. He didn't seem like he wanted to back down from this..

"Don't," she shook her head, tears wanting to burst forth. "I have my reasons, and I am asking you to respect them. I'll tell you when I can, but for now, please just drop it." She blinked her eyes several times, making the tears disappear. Wiping at her eyes she stood up. "I have to go. I'll be here in the morning."

Jesse watched her go. He knew he had pushed her harder than what he had intended, but he couldn't stop himself. Finn wasn't the only person she had run out on. Her leaving was the hardest thing he had to endure, failing UCLA came in at a close second. He still loved her, and he wondered if that feeling would ever go away. She was a good girl, but she had to have gotten involved in some shady business for her to keep it to herself as much as she was.

Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed Finn's number. He only talked to Finn on occasion as they never had been on the best of terms. Each one was jealous of the other for having dated Rachel. Both had been in love with the same girl. Hard to form a friendship on that commonality. But, Finn was a good guy, and he had promised Rachel seven years ago that he wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt Finn. This ought to make up for any bad deed he had ever done.

Finn answered on the third ring. "Hello?" He sounded like he had hurried to the phone. Finn was a mechanic at Burt Hummel's Mechanics' Shop now, like it had been his duty to take over since Kurt had wanted nothing to do with it.

"Finn, it's Jesse St. James. There is something you need to know, but you'll have to show up at the park downtown to find out what it is," Jesse knew he was being secretive, but it wasn't right for him to tell the secret. It was something Finn needed to hear from Rachel and her alone. He wondered if Finn would even go being Jesse was the one telling him to do so.

"What? Why?" Finn asked. He didn't sound angry, just cautious. "I'm really busy down here. I can't just take the afternoon off," he continued when Jesse didn't answer right away.

"It's about Rachel," Jesse told him, figuring this would be enough to make him go. 

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Rachel was sitting in the park, waiting on the swing set. She had just come from seeing her dads for the first time in a long time. It was nice. They knew about Ryder, and had come up to New York to see her and Ryder and more than one occasion, and they understood how hard this was for her. She was just glad that she had their support. Without them, she wasn't sure where she'd be at this moment in time.<p>

She wasn't really sure when Finn would get here, but she didn't mind waiting. Being outside was calming for her. The birds were chirping and the breeze was flowing through her hair. It was the perfect stage for a song. Taking a deep breath, she starting singing the song You are Everything by R.E.M with Finn in mind:

_Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing _  
><em>I'm very scared for this world<em>  
><em>I'm very scared for me <em>  
><em>Eviscerate your memory<em>  
><em>Here's a scene<em>  
><em>You're in the back seat laying down <em>  
><em>The windows wrap around<em>  
><em>To sound of the travel and the engine <em>  
><em>All you hear is time stand still in travel<em>  
><em>And feel such peace and absolute<em>  
><em>The stillness still that doesn't end<em>  
><em>But slowly drifts into sleep<em>  
><em>The stars are the greatest thing you've ever seen<em>  
><em>And they're there for you<em>  
><em>For you alone you are the everything<em>

A voice started the next verse, making Rachel's head snap in the direction. It was Finn's voice. He was here singing with her. It was as though nothing had changed and flashes of their duets in Glee Club ran through her mind. She had missed him so much; leaving him had been the hardest decision she had ever made. She had hurt him so much, and yet, here he was.

_I think about this world a lot and I cry _  
><em>And I've seen the films and the eyes<em>  
><em>But I'm in this kitchen <em>  
><em>Everything is beautiful<em>  
><em>And she is so beautiful <em>  
><em>She is so young and old<em>  
><em>I look at her and I see the beauty <em>  
><em>Of the light of music<em>  
><em>The voices talking somewhere in the house<em>  
><em>Late spring and you're drifting off to sleep<em>  
><em>With your teeth in your mouth<em>  
><em>You are here with me<em>  
><em>You are here with me<em>  
><em>You have been here and you are everything<em>

_Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing _  
><em>I'm very scared for this world<em>  
><em>I'm very scared for me <em>  
><em>Eviscerate your memory<em>  
><em>Here's a scene<em>  
><em>You're in the back seat laying down <em>  
><em>The windows wrap around<em>  
><em>To sound of the travel and the engine <em>  
><em>All you hear is time stand still in travel<em>  
><em>And feel such peace and absolute<em>  
><em>The stillness still that doesn't end<em>  
><em>But slowly drifts into sleep<em>  
><em>The greatest thing you've ever seen<em>  
><em>And they're there for you<em>  
><em>For you alone you are the everything<em>  
><em>For you alone you are the everything<em>

With the end of the song, they were standing inches apart. "Finn," Rachel whispered, unsure how she was supposed to start a conversation with him, not after all the time that had passed. This was ten times harder than she had envisioned. What would he say to her? What would he do?

"You look good, Rachel," he said, his eyes reflecting the sadness she had caused him, killing Rachel on the inside. 

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><p>Here's Finn! Will Rachel have the courage to tell him about Ryder? Next chapter will be almost completely about Rachel and Finn!<br>**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Confessions

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Confessions**

More than one emotion wanted to burst forth from her very soul. She was happy to see him; she had missed him so much while she was in New York. She was pained thinking of how devastating the news would be for him. She was relieved in a way because he didn't seem to hate her, but that would change in a few short moments when she came clean with her big secret. Or, one of her deep, dark secrets.

"It's good to see you, Finn," Rachel felt lame uttering those words, they fell short on what she really wanted to convey. Standing this close to him again, taking in his scent, she was reminded of how much she really loved him. He was her first love, and nothing could break that hold.

"What are you doing back in town?" he asked her, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. He loomed over her, being over six feet, so she had to crane her neck to look up at him. Finn hadn't really changed in all these years, he was still caring and genuine.

"You want to go get some coffee?" she asked, avoiding the question. If they were sitting, maybe it would make it easier for her to tell him. She'd be lying if she said it was the only reason she wanted to go to a café. If they were in a public place, he couldn't make a huge scene. She was trying to make it easier on herself, when she should be worried more about Finn. She had robbed him of something so precious.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>In the café shop, tthey took a booth in the back corner, sipping the hot liquid, trying to warm themselves up. It wasn't that cold outside, but Rachel couldn't stop shivering. Her body was anticipating what was to come. She didn't know how she was going to work up the courage to tell him.<p>

"Are you going to tell me what you are doing back?" Finn asked, setting his coffee down and looking at her patiently. His brown eyes were searching her own for answers. Unfortunately, her eyes weren't giving anything away other than the fact that whatever it was was important.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I, uh, came back for a change of scenery. New York just wasn't doing it for me. I wanted to start over." She was dodging what she really needed to say, but she didn't want to hurt him. The pain he would feel was killing her.

"So, you came back here?" Finn asked skeptically.

She shrugged, "There are a few other reasons as well, but I feel safest here." She looked up into his eyes, hoping he'd understand how much she really loved him. "Besides, I missed you along with the rest of the Glee Club."

"Jesse called to tell me to go to the park. You talked to him about this first?" Finn sounded partially hurt and partially jealous. He looked down at the cup in his hands, unable to look Rachel in the eyes.

"Purely by chance. I ran into him, Blaine, and Kurt yesterday. I didn't seek him out," Rachel assured him. She felt silly having to do so, because she had hoped they'd matured passed that stage.

Finn nodded his head, trying to act as though it didn't matter to him one way or the other. Rachel knew him better than that, and could see right through him. She smiled at the thought. No matter how much time had passed since they'd been together, things still clicked with them. It was as though fate had plans for them. Too bad she was going to ruin that with one small sentence.

"Why didn't things work out in New York? Julliard was your dream," he inquired, curiously.

Rachel looked away, out of the window. "I guess we weren't meant to be as much as I had hoped." She forced a smile and looked over at Finn. "I found a job as a vocal coach after I dropped out of Julliard. I did it from my home. Then when Ry-" she had to stop herself. She wasn't going to tell him about Ryder now, not yet. Not like this. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Then, after a few years, I took a job as a secretary. It paid more. Then I couldn't stay in New York anymore, so here I am." Her story was true. She was just leaving out a few important details.

Finn wanted to ask her why she couldn't stay in New York anymore, and he really wanted to press her about why she quit Julliard. Wasn't that why she left Lima, Ohio behind? Why she left him? But, he could see it in her face that she didn't want him to push her any further. She was done talking about it, so he stayed quiet, unsure of what to say about the matter.

"So, what have you done? Why did you stay here in Lima? I thought you wanted to get out of here," Rachel asked, thankful he hadn't questioned her.

He shrugged. "I moved to Cleveland and went to college up there, but Burt wasn't doing so well, so I moved back to help out after I graduated. I started helping him out down in the shop, and I just haven't left. I'm happy I got out for the four years that I did," he replied with a weak smile.

"I'm glad you got out, even for a little bit," Rachel smiled. Then, she asked the question she'd been dying to know for awhile now. "What about Quinn?" Then, to cover, she asked, "And the whole Glee club?"

Finn smiled, knowing what she was really asking. "Quinn's a realtor here in town. She and Sam got married about a year ago. Mercedes, Artie, Tina, and Mike moved to Cleveland. Puck and Lauren are still here, married. Puck does odd jobs around town, and Lauren stays at home most of the time. Brittany and Santana are the cheerleading coaches at McKinley now. They took over when Sue retired two years ago. Mr. Shue is still the Glee Club coach; he married Emma. Kurt and Blaine travel back and forth from here to Cleveland. They own a clothing store."

Rachel nodded, impressed with what everyone was doing nowadays. Not many of them had ventured out and about, but they must be happy being where they were. "I'm just sad I wasn't able to go to any of the weddings," Rachel admitted sadly. These were her friends, and she had missed the biggest days of their lives.

"They all wanted you there, but you never left an address for us to reach you, and no one had your phone number after you changed it," Finn replied. He had been so hurt when he found out she had changed her number. It was like she had been running away from them and never wanted to look back. So, then why was she here?

She nodded. "I know. It's my own fault. But, I was scared," she admitted softly.

"Scared of what?" Finn pressed.

Rachel reached across the table and grabbed Finn's free hand. "One of the reasons I came back was you, Finn." Their eyes met, and Rachel could see how happy that made him. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I have something very important to tell you, but I don't want you to hate me."

Finn shook his head, confused. "I could never hate you, Rachel. Just tell me; it'll be ok," he promised her. His gentleness made this even harder to get it out.

"The reason I left right after graduation was because I didn't want to hold you back. You wanted so badly to get out of here, and I didn't want to be the reason you had to stay behind. I didn't want to make you regret being with me. I was scared of what would happen," Rachel spoke quickly, hoping that the quicker she got the words out in the open, the easier it would be to say them. But, it still hurt, and the tears were forming.

"Hey, hey. What's all this about? You knew I was crazy about you. Why would I ever regret being with you?" Finn asking, squeezing her hand reassuringly. He was looking at her with such passionate eyes; eyes that were searching her own for the answers that alluded him. She was being mysterious, which wasn't very Rachel-like.

"I don't want you to hate me," she admitted, a lone tear falling down her cheek.

Finn moved over to other side of the booth, sitting next to Rachel. "What's going on? Tell me." He was starting to get scared from the way she was acting. This wasn't the usual Rachel. She had changed in more ways than one since graduation.

She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "The reason I left was because I was pregnant," she looked away at the last word, afraid to see how he would look at her; she couldn't bear to see the disappointment and hurt.

Finn's heart dropped as he stared at her with hallowed eyes. He got up and stumbled out of the café. Rachel ran out after him, wanting to make him understand. "Finn, I'm so sorry," she pleaded, grabbing his arm. "I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid." She knew it was no excuse.

"Is that why you came back?" Finn turned around quickly and stared at her. "Did you come back to lay this bomb shell on me? I am some kid's father? I had a right to know, Rachel. How could you do this to me?"

"I was eighteen and stupid. I thought I was making the right decision for you," she assured him. "If I could do it all over again, I would."

"Well, you can't, Rachel. You lied to me. I thought what we had was a whole lot better than that. I would have been there for you; I would have done anything for you," he was shaking his head, pacing in front of her.

"I know you would have, but I didn't want you to miss out on college. I wanted you to get out and experience life instead of being bogged down by this." She could only stand there, her knees wanted to give out on her, but she refused to drop to her knees.

"That's bullshit, Rachel. You should have told me. I need to get out of here. I can't look at you right now." He started walking away.

"His name is Ryder. He goes to McKinley Elementary. If you want to know more about him, tomorrow, at three thirty, you should come and get to know him," Rachel called out after him, hoping against everything that Finn would want to get to know his son. Now, she would have to talk to Ryder about meeting his dad.

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><p>Will Finn want to meet his son? How will Ryder react to all of this?<p>

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5: For the Very First Time

Sorry so much for not updating yesterday, but I had a final this morning that I had to study for! Please forgive me!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**For the Very First Time**

"How was school?" Rachel asked her son as they began their walk back to the apartment. She absently zipped up his jacket higher than what he had it. Hand in hand, they continued down the sidewalk. "Make any friends?"

Ryder shrugged, nonchalantly. "It was ok. Not as cool as New York, but I think I'm going to like it here. They have a cool playground," he informed her as if that was the only thing that really mattered.

"Were the kids nice to you?" she pressed further; this had been her main concern. Not that they would have any reason to pick on him. Ryder was a good kid, but she knew how mean people could be; she dealt with the misgivings of her classmates for most of her life. It had scared her a lot, but her friends in Glee Club had helped her through that.

He nodded. "Once they found out I was from New York, they wouldn't leave me alone. They wanted to hear stories, so I told them all about where we used to live." He kicked a rock off of the sidewalk and into someone's lawn.

"That's great. You're going to fit in with them in no time," she assured him. "If you ever want to bring someone over, let me know. We'll work something out."

"Thanks, Mom," he smiled at her. His smile was so much like Finn's. Which reminded her that she needed to talk to him about that tonight.

"You're welcome," she could see the apartment a few blocks down the street now. "Guess who got a job," she said in sing song voice, glancing down at him.

He glanced up at her. "Where?"

"Remember Jesse?" she asked him. "He's going to let me work with him in his studio. And, I talked to him about giving you some voice lessons, and I think you can come in a few days a week after school and either he or I will work with you. How does that sound?" she looked down at him, a smile on her face, her eyes shining. She always got this say when she was talking about singing.

He nodded with a smile. "Sure. Can I start tomorrow?" he asked her.

They made it to the apartment by now. She was unlocking the door and let themselves in. "I actually have to talk to you about that, Ryder." She was serious now. Shutting the door behind her, she threw the keys on the stand.

She motioned for him to sit on the couch before she joined him. Her hands in her lap, she looked at her son, who was watching her intently. "You remember what I told you about your father, Ryder?" she asked him. They had only discussed Finn a few times, usually at night before bed. Ryder would ask her questions, and Rachel would tell him stories.

He nodded. "Yes. Daddy wasn't in New York because he was out living his dreams." Rachel wished she knew then what she knew now. Finn never had lived the exotic life that she had hoped and said he had.

Rachel nodded. "Your dad wasn't able to live with us because he needed to find himself and see the world. At least, that's what I wanted him to do. I thought that by leaving him, he wouldn't be held back by us. That was really stupid of me," Rachel shook her head, leaning back into the couch.

Ryder frowned and nuzzled himself right next to her in her arms. "You aren't stupid, Mommy."

She smiled absently. Yes she was. She took away Ryder's dad for 6 years. "Would you like to meet your father?" she asked him.

He looked up in surprise. "I can?" he asked curiously.

She nodded. "He might be coming to see you tomorrow after school. But, only if you want to. If you don't, I understand. But, I don't want you to get your hopes up in case he decides not to come."

"Why wouldn't he come?" Ryder asked, confused.

"Well, he's kind of mad at me right now," Rachel admitted. Her and her son had always been open and honest. She had thought it would be better to tell him the truth than lie to him. The repercussions of lying to him would only bite her in the butt later.

"Why?" Ryder asked, pressing her.

She sighed. "Because I never told him about you. He didn't know you were in New York with him. Mommy lied to him, so now he's upset with her. I'm sorry Ryder," she replied sorrowfully.

"It's ok, Mommy," Ryder leaned in and hugged her tightly. He was so good at making her feel better. Even if he didn't understand everything, he could tell when she was hurting. A hug was all it took for her to feel better.

"I love you, Ryder," she told him as she held him in her arms. He was the most important person in her life, and she would do anything to keep him happy.

"I love you, too," Ryder replied softly. She thought that if Finn and Ryder met, Finn couldn't help but love him. Ryder was everything that was great and important in her life, and she wanted to share him with Finn, if only he'd let her.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Rachel was pacing out in front of the school building about fifteen minutes before school let out. Jesse had kicked her out early because of all the nonsense babble that kept popping out her mouth about how worried and scared she was that Finn wouldn't show. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair nervously.<p>

When she turned, she saw Finn standing a few feet away from her, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, his eyes bloodshot. Even though he looked like he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Rachel couldn't help but find him as attractive as ever. I guess it was true that you never forgot your first.

"I didn't think you'd come," Rachel confessed out loud. She forced a smile and looked up at him expectantly.

Finn took a few steps forward so that he was standing right next to her. "I almost didn't," he admitted. "But, just because you hid him from me, doesn't mean I should punish him by not being the father he needs."

The last sentence made her heart hurt. "I'm so sorry, Finn. If I could take it back, I would," she tried to tell him, but it would do no good.

"You can't take it back, Rachel. You made your bed. Now lay in it," Finn told her, harsher than he had probably mean to, but he was still too upset about all this to care at the moment. Rachel had done the worst thing possible to him; he couldn't just forgive her. She had had his son and had hid it from him.

If he would have known, Finn would have been there to support her. He'd have gone off to New York with her. They'd have figured it out. Together. That's what couples were supposed to do. Work on their problems. But, Rachel had decided to handle them all on her own, and he had missed out on so much of his son's life.

He had missed the baby steps, the first words. He had missed out on everything. But, he wasn't going to miss out on anything else. He wanted to get to know his son now that he had the chance. He wasn't going to miss out on anything more.

"I know, and I am so sorry, Finn," Rachel replied. He could see how sincere she was, but that didn't take away the time he had lost. In time, he'd be able to forgive her, but not yet.

"I know you are," Finn sighed. "Tell me about our son," he tried to change the topic. "What do I need to know?"

"Well, Ryder is very independent, and loves the arts. He can sing very well already; he won a few contests in New York. He can play a little piano, not much, though. He doesn't want to get involved with too much at one time. He did dance in New York, but he doesn't like that as much. He likes to play football with some of his friends from New York, but I can't really teach him anything there, so I thought maybe that would be a good bonding activity. I've played basketball a little with him, but I'm not very good at that either," Finn couldn't help but smile as she talked about their son. Her eyes lit up and a smile was evident in her features.

"I can handle the sports department, no problem," Finn assured her.

The kids were being let out, and Rachel saw that Ryder was amongst the first few kids out. Excited to meet his dad, no doubt. Ryder bounded over to their sides happily. A grin was plastered on his face, the excitement evident.

Finn looked down at the boy. He was a spitting image of himself, and yet he could see Rachel in him as well. He couldn't believe it. He was a father, and for real this time. Not, like what happened with Quinn in high school. This was real.

"Ryder, this is your dad," Rachel said, gesturing towards Finn. She pushed her son forwards, towards Finn.

Ryder was shy, now. He looked up at the towering man. Finn smiled and knelt down so that he was at his level. "Hi, Ryder," Finn said, a little shy himself. What could he say that would make up for the six years of him being absent.

Rachel could see the tension in the air and decided to swoop in and save them. "How about we go out to eat? An early supper and get to know each other a little better?" she suggested.

Ryder and Finn nodded at the same time. "Let's go to Breadsticks," Finn suggested. Ryder and Rachel locked hands right away as they began walking. Slowly, but surely, Ryder grabbed Finn's hand and they walked in synch. Almost a complete family now.

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><p>Now they are together! Yay! What happens next?<p>

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Chatting by Kitchen Light

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Chatting by Kitchen Light**

The dinner together had been quiet, but pleasant on all accounts. Ryder had been rather talkative when it came to New York. It was so different than it was here, and he marveled at how things operated here. He talked about the kids in his new class, how well he could sing, his desire to play sports.

This put them on equal ground and Finn was able to talk about how well he had done in football. They had set it up so that Finn would come over a lot during the week when he wasn't busy to spend time with Ryder to play catch or shoot some hoops. On days that Rachel would have to work later, Finn would pick him up from school.

Finn seemed to really want to get to know his son, which Rachel found endearing. She couldn't help but fall more in love with Finn the longer she watched them interact together. What was she thinking? She didn't have the right to love him. Not after what she had done to him. It wasn't fair. Besides, it wasn't like Finn would want to get back with her. He wasn't so forgiving as to let it all slide.

They were in the restaurant for three hours, just talking and laughing. It was crazy how quickly time flew by when you are having fun and enjoying company. They had then gone to the park for a little bit, for the two guys to play together, for Finn to see what he had been missing. It was nearly eight now when they got back.

Back at the apartment, Rachel invited Finn up. She wanted to talk to him a little bit more. She threw her purse and keys on the table and ordered Ryder to go take his shower. Turning his attention back to Finn, she gestured for him to go into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked as she went to the fridge to see what she had. "All we have is milk or water." she looked at him from over her shoulder. He looked oddly out of place in the tiny room. But, it felt right that he was there with her. This is how it should have been. How it could have been had she not screwed it up.

He shook his head. "Water's fine," he took a seat at the table as Rachel shut the fridge door and rummaged around the cupboards for a glass. "So, you both live here?" He sounded as though he pitied them. Why shouldn't he? It was the cheapest apartment she could find.

She nodded as she put the glass under the tap and filled it to the top with cold water. "We sure do," she replied, setting the glass in front of him. She took a seat next to him. "It's small, but we manage just fine."

"Isn't there only one bedroom?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, Ryder's room. I sleep on the couch." she shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. She suddenly got serious. "Look, Finn. I cannot ever take back what I did to you, but I want you to know, that what I did, I did it because I loved you." Finn was about to retort, but Rachel held up a hand. "I know that what I do doesn't always make sense to you, but in my heart, I thought it was the right thing. I would never do something to purposefully hurt you."

He looked away, unsure of what to say. "I thought I loved you, too. No. I did love you, but what you did hurt me, Rachel. You never even called me. I had no idea what I did wrong. I thought it was me this whole time."

The pain that shot through her chest was nearly unbearable. "It could never be you. It's me. Just like it always is, just like it always was. I never did deserve you. You were something special, and I never could believe that I had had you. It's still hard to believe." She still loved him, but she didn't think now was the appropriate time to bring that up. He needed room to think about everything that happened without the pressures of the L-word.

Finn stood up and walked towards the door. "I need to go and think about some things," he told her.

She got up and walked after him. "Will you come again tomorrow. I'm sure Ryder would really like that. He likes you a lot."

Finn nodded before disappearing out the door. Why did she still feel so badly after having come clean about everything? She had hurt him so much that she wouldn't blame him if he never walked back through that door again.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn walked downtown back to his truck. Ryder was great, making him hate Rachel even more for keeping that from him. But then, seeing her with him and talking with her again made him not hate her so much. But, he couldn't act on these feelings. He needed time to think everything through; he needed time to get a hold of his emotions and figure out what he felt for her.<p>

"Finn?" a voice from behind him startled him out of his thoughts. Turning, Finn saw Jesse locking up his studio before he jogged to Finn's side. "Did you talk to Rachel today?" he asked him.

Finn frowned. "She told you about Ryder?" he asked him. It hurt that Rachel had talked to Jesse before him. He still resented him for everything he did to her in high school. Though, after their junior year, they had agreed to disagree and weren't at each others' throats as much.

Jesse nodded. "Ya, she wouldn't stop talking about you this morning at work," he shook his head. "She was so excited about you meeting Ryder. Nervous, but excited." Jesse smiled. "How'd it go?"

"Why don't you just ask her about it tomorrow?" Finn wondered aloud, looking at Jesse skeptically.

Jesse's smile faded. "I know we aren't great friends or anything, but I was the one that convinced her to tell you about Ryder. I was looking out for you. I thought we had moved passed high school drama."

Jesse always knew how to rub him the wrong way. But, he had gone out of his way to make sure Finn was told about Ryder. Without his influence, Ryder might still be a mystery right now. That fact upset him, too. Why didn't Rachel come to him of her own free will? Sighing, Finn nodded. "You're right, and I'm sorry. I'm not being very open to you. Friends?" Finn held out his hand.

Jesse smiled and accepted the handshake. "So, are you going to tell me how things went with Ryder and Rachel?" he asked him curiously.

Finn let out a deep breath. "I love spending time with Ryder. We're okay in that department, but with Rachel I'm just not sure yet. We've both grown up and moved on. I don't think we can ever go back to the way things used to be." Finn ran a hand through his hair.

Jesse tilted his head and looked up at him. "You know, you are both two totally different people. You could never be the way they used to. You can only make it better."

Finn smiled, knowing Jesse was only trying to help. Man, Finn never thought he'd live to see the day when he ever thought that about Jesse. It was so uncharacteristic of him. Maybe they had both grown up. "As much as that means, I don't think we are ever going to go anywhere. Neither of us feel the same for the other anymore. Look, I got to go. I'll see ya around." With that, Finn turned and headed down the sidewalk.

"Do you know what her last name is?" Jesse called out after him. He didn't know why he was being so helpful. Maybe it was the fact that Finn looked so helpless and pitiful that made him want to make Finn feel better. After all, if one surrounded themselves by pitiful people, others might lump you into the same group.

Finn stopped and turned around. "Berry," he looked at him, confused.

Jesse shook his head. "I don't understand the reasoning, but Rachel wanted to make a new start. She wanted to start back over here in Lima, Ohio. With a new last name," Jesse informed him. He shoved a hand in his jean's pockets and began walking to his car, which was parked on the street.

Finn frowned, watching him through confused eyes. "What is it? He asked. Finn knew so little about the new Rachel. It made him wonder if he ever really knew her. She was so mysterious to him now.

Jesse fished out his car keys and unlocked the door to his Ford Focus. "She changed their names to Rachel and Ryder Hudson. Still think she doesn't care about you?" Jesse told him as he got into his car, started the engine, and drove off.

Finn could only watch him go through dazed eyes. Rachel had wanted to start over. So, what does she do? Come back to the beginning. With his last name. Did she truly still love him? What did he feel about her? Could he return her feelings? He was so confused. So much news had been dropped on him in the last few days. What was he to do?

Turning, he stumbled to his vehicle and went home where he got little to no sleep. He couldn't stop picturing Rachel and Ryder. If she had stayed, where would they be now? How would their lives be different? The two were stuck in a cramped apartment which was too small for one person to live in it, let alone two.

He wanted to help them. He wanted to like Rachel again. He wanted a life with his son to make up for all the time lost. What could he do other than emerse himself with them. He'd play it by ear and see where it took them. If it was meant to be, it would work out the way it was supposed to.

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><p>So, ya, they both have feelings for each other, though Finn isn't quite sure about how he feels yet. What will this do to the two of them? How will things work out?<p>

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Nightmares

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Nightmares**

Rachel cried that night. She cried a lot these days. But she kept running through the night she had felt the brunt of Finn's anger for the first time. She had dreamed of the moment when she would tell him everything, the reasons why she left, and she had always pictured a huge fight between them. Although, she had never imagined that it would hurt this much.

The pain in her chest was a sharp, throbbing pain that never seemed to want to go away. Knowing that Finn could possibly hate her hurt so badly that she was unable to fathom what to do if he forever hated her. She could only hope that he would give her the chance to make up for her misdeeds. Maybe, one day they could become friends.

Crying herself to sleep again, she had a fitful sleep with dreams that plagued her every thought. The dream never left her alone, but it was more vivid this time, more real.

_Rachel was running, Ryder struggling to keep up with her even though she was holding his hand. They weren't moving quick enough. If they didn't move now, they were going to get caught. Glancing behind her, she saw the men following them from a distance, but no matter how hard she and Ryder ran, they could never make the gap between the two of them and the men following them any bigger._

_Picking up Ryder, she decided to try running down another street. Maybe she could loose them. No matter how hard she ran or how far away she thought she was getting, the men were always the same distance away from her. She found a door that was unlocked and hurried inside, shoving Ryder into a closet to hide him._

_Right as she turned back around, the men were standing in the doorway. Rachel tried pleading with them, but it was no good. She was helpless as they descended on her, making her feel vulnerable and helpless. They were going to take Ryder away from her while she was unable to do anything for him._

_The tore the door off the closet, reaching in for the poor, scared child. "Ryder!" Rachel yelled, reaching for him, trying to struggle against the firm grip of the men holding her. They were a lot stronger than Rachel's small form, so she was forced to sit and watch, to sit and wait. "No!"_

"Mom!" Ryder's voice broke her from the hold her dream held on her. "Mom? Are you okay?" her son asked her, concern clouding his no longer sleepy eyes.

Breathing heavily, Rachel sat up, running a hand through her long, dark hair. "Come here," she said, holding her hands out for him to come into her arms, which he did. "I'm sorry if I scared you, sweetie," she apologized. This was the second time her nightmares had been so bad that Ryder had heard her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her, hugging her around her middle tightly, almost protectively. He wanted to protect his mother, but he didn't know how.

Rachel nodded. "I'll be fine. Just, let me hold you for awhile, okay?" Glancing at the clock, she saw it was three in the morning. Rachel was really glad the morning would be Saturday. She could lay in bed with Ryder for as long as she wanted in the morning.

"Why were you crying? What were you dreaming about?" Ryder asked her as they laid back down under the sheets together. He was still hugging her tightly, as if he wasn't going to let her go.

She reached up to her eyes and found her cheeks wet. "It was just a bad dream, Ryder. I had a dream that bad men wanted to take you away from me and hurt you." She was running a hand through Ryder's hair absently. "But, I will never let that happen. I will protect you always."

"Daddy would, too, right?" Ryder asked about Finn. It was amazing how much they had taken to each other within a few short days. It was almost as if they had known each other forever. That thought made her happy.

"Yes, your dad would do anything for you," and Rachel knew that statement to be true. He'd do anything for Ryder. Ryder meant the world to Finn. The one good thing that came out of the list of mistakes he did in high school, herself one of them. Finn was talking to her, albeit sparingly.

Ryder was asleep shortly after, and as she watched him sleep, she couldn't help but cry again. What had she drug him into? She wished she could rewind the clock back to when she was 18. The nightmares she had never stopped. It was the same dream over and over again. Did that mean the men were close to finding them again? She'd be damned if they were going to get her son.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn was standing over her bed, looking down at the two sleeping forms before him. Finn had been worried when Rachel didn't show up in the park this morning. They were supposed to meet thirty four minutes ago. He had tried her cellphone several times, but she never picked up. Wondering if she was ok, he decided to just head over to the house. He had let himself in when she never came to the door.<p>

Sure, the door may have been locked, but when he heard her cry out, he had thought something was harming her. He had thrown the door opening, breaking the frame as he did so. When he got into the living room, he saw that she was merely sleeping. One would have thought the noise would have woken her up, but she was sound asleep.

She was sleeping on the couch, Ryder between her and the back of the couch, cuddled and cramped. She had tears running down her face while Ryder was sleeping soundly. He wondered what she was dreaming about if she was crying. She cried out again, a whimpering noise escaping her slightly parted lips. She was scared.

He leaned over her sleeping form and wiped away stray strands of hair, tucking them gently behind her ear. Her face was so much more mature now. She was a changed woman from whom he had known in high school. But, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe if she was changed, things between them could be fixed. He wiped away the tears from her cheeks tenderly. His gentle touch made her moan in her sleep. It wasn't in fear this time, but almost as though she liked the touch, as though it soothed her.

He was afraid to wake her up, because he wondered how much sleep she had been getting lately. He could only guess not a lot, so he decided to let her sleep peacefully. He hoped that whatever dream she was having that was making her cry would be over with soon enough. He went into the kitchen and peeked into the fridge. It was almost completely bare except for some milk and other bare essentials. He grabbed his phone and made a phone call.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>When Rachel awoke, she felt oddly refreshed. After she had finally fallen asleep last night, the nightmares had come back, but not for long. They vanished rather quickly and once they were gone, she slept quite soundly. She wondered why she hadn't had the nightmares. What had made them vanish? Ryder wasn't with her anymore, so she figured he had gone back to his own room. She was sort of a bed hog, so he had probably got fed up with it.<p>

Getting up, she stretched her arms and checked the clock that hung on the wall near the door, which wasn't shut all the way because the frame was broken and cracked. The chain lock was broken off the door and was hanging on the wall. Getting up, she ran into Ryder's bedroom and found the room empty. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she ran out of the small room. "Ryder?" she called out. She heard voices coming from the kitchen. Listening, she heard Ryder laughing. Hurrying into the kitchen, she found Finn and Ryder sitting at the small table laughing and talking. "Ryder!" she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly.

Looking over at Finn, she asked in exasperation, "What going on? What happened to the door? Why are you here?" She sighed in relief that nothing had happened. She plopped down in the nearest chair and stole one of the cinnamon rolls on the plate, which she assumed Finn brought with him.

"I got worried when you didn't show up this morning, so I kind of broke in," Finn admitted sheepishly. When Rachel was about to say something, he continued before she could get a word in, "I knocked, but you didn't say anything. You cried out, and I sort of panicked. Turns out you were just having a bad dream. Anyway, I didn't want to leave with the door the way it is."

His genuine sincerity touched her heart. He was really worried about her. She tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear shyly. "Well, thank you. It's sweet of you," she told him as she got up and went to the refrigerator. Opening the door, she found the door and shelves filled with food. "What is this?" she said aloud, looking at all the options they had.

Finn stood up and went to stand directly behind her. "I saw that it was bare, so I called Puck and told him what to buy, and he brought it all up for me. Can't let you and Ryder starve."

Rachel turned around, closing the fridge door. "Thank you so much for everything. I appreciate the help." The were standing mere inches apart, and Rachel desperately wanted to lean in and kiss him, but she didn't want to have to jump him. If only he knew how much he meant to her, and how much his helping them meant to her.

"You're welcome. But, you shouldn't hesitate to call me help should you ever need it," he told her, looking down at her with those eyes she had missed so much. His lips which she had kissed on more than one occasion were slightly parted, as though they were inviting her to make the first move.

She looked away, "I'll remember that for next time," she promised with a smile.

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><p>A little Finchel fluff going on. Hope you like it!<p>

Sorry this is a lot shorter than the others, but I won't have internet again until Thursday or Friday. I'm going home where there is no internet. I am at the library right now, which is the only reason I got on today.

**Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Old Friends

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Old Friends**

Rachel had wanted to give Finn and Ryder a little time to themselves. Any time they hung out, she was always there, and so she decided it was high time they had a little one on one time. They could build their bond together and grow as a father and son should. Rachel smiled to herself thinking about how much the two of them had changed in the few short weeks it had been since she had gotten there.

Taking a drink of the alcohol set before her, she wondered how long it would be before she was caught. Sighing, she hoped later rather than sooner. She motioned for the bartender to refill her glass once more. Finn and her had been getting along great, but she felt like more of a burden than anything. She was wanting to get back with him, but she wasn't sure he felt the same.

Jesse was sitting next to her at the bar talking about the glory days from way back when they were in high school, when he was really good. Not that he still wasn't, but when he was in Vocal Adrenaline, they had been able to go places. Now, he only sung by himself or when Rachel felt like singing with him. She had to admit they still sung very well together.

"Rachel?" she heard her name and turned to face Jesse absently. She felt bad that she was such bad company tonight, but she just wasn't in the mood to have any fun. She wanted to be back with Finn and Ryder. She wanted to be having fun with the two of them instead of faking fun with Jesse. "You don't really want to be here do you?" he asked her, reading her like an open book.

She grimaced sheepishly. "I just am not used to being away from Ryder, so I'm a little anxious, that's all," she told him honestly. No sense bringing Finn into the picture when she didn't really have to. Jesse and Finn had enough to bicker about; she didn't want to have to add to that.

"Well, I have just the thing to make you feel better," he promised her with a smile. He gestured with his head towards the back room. "Come on," he hopped off the bar stool and led her to the back room.

She was curious as to what would be awaiting her in the room. She wondered if maybe it was a game room or something. Following Jesse into the room, she found Mercedes, Sam, Kurt, Blaine, Puck, and Lauren seated around a round table with two open seats for herself and Jesse to sit. Rachel stared at the faces around the room in wide eyed wonderment.

"Oh, my gosh! You guys!" Rachel practically sung! It had been six long years since she had seen any of them, and it was so good to see each and every one of them. She rushed over to the nearest person, who happened to be Mercedes and hugged her.

Everyone got up and hugged her tightly and a big group hug, all talking at once, asking questions and talking as thought they were old friends catching up, which is exactly what they were. Rachel tried her hardest to keep up with the questions, but they were coming from all directions, so it was difficult if nothing else. They hadn't changed a whole lot; a little older, wiser, and maturer, but otherwise they were the same as when she had left them: fun, caring, and just plain awesome.

She couldn't believe she was back with them. They were all eager to share what they had been up to since high school, and Rachel was genuinely interested. Hanging out with them made her loose all anxiety about getting back and seeing Ryder and being with Finn. She was having fun, something she hadn't had in a long time. She was going to enjoy this if it was the last thing she did.

Looking over at Jesse, who was watching her with a smile on his face, Rachel mouthed _thank you_. She wanted to cry, and she had to blink her eyes several times to keep the tears from falling. Jesse's grin widened as he mouthed, _you're welcome_. Rachel returned the smile as she turned back to the people she had missed more than she would ever admit.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn stared at the boy before him. Smiling to himself, he playfully rubbed his head as he handed Ryder the basketball. "That was a great shot! Are you sure you're only six?" Finn told him with a smile. He rebounded a shot that Ryder had missed, putting it back up for an easy shot. Finn hadn't really played like this and had fun in a long time. Heck, Finn couldn't really remember the last time he had fun.<p>

Ryder grinned from ear to ear. He was having fun shooting the ball with Finn's help. This was what it felt like to have a father. He couldn't imagine having to leave Finn after this. He sure hoped that him and his mom would stay here. Being here with his dad was definitely a lot better than being in New York by a long shot.

The whole day had been nearly perfect. They had watched some TV earlier, ate a home cooked meal that the two of them had put together, came outside and went to the park, and then came back and were playing hoops. Ryder never had had a father figure in his life, so he was really enjoying himself, and he said so to Finn.

Finn smiled at the comment. "Didn't your mom ever bring anyone over?" he knew he should be asking Rachel about this, but he couldn't help himself. He was more than curious, and he couldn't wait to ask Rachel about it.

Ryder shook his head. "Not really. There were a few guys, but they never came over for very long." Ryder went back to trying to dribble, which was going a lot better than how it had when they had started.

Finn wondered why Rachel never brought guys over. He made a mental note to bring it up with Rachel later. He wanted to know what was going on with her. What had made her want to start over? Glancing over at Ryder, Finn really wanted to ask him another personal question, but he feared he'd be stepping over the line with this one. However, Rachel didn't seem like she was going to open up about it any time soon, and this concerned the safety of his own son, so it involved him as well.

"Do you know why you guys moved back here?" Finn asked tentatively after he shot the ball himself from a good twelve feet away, hitting nothing but net. He couldn't stop the cocky grin that appeared on his face.

Ryder shrugged his small, tiny shoulders. "Mom seemed scared of something," Ryder confessed, grabbing the ball and looked up at Finn expectantly, as though he wanted Finn to promise that nothing would ever happen to them. He was expecting Finn to save them, to keep them safe from all harm.

Finn grimaced. He shouldn't have brought it up. Of course he'd do everything in his power to keep them safe, but he could only do so much with half truths. Changing his frown to a grin, he grabbed Ryder and placed him on his shoulders, saying, "I'll keep you safe!" He walked over to the hoop and allowed Ryder the chance to dunk the ball.

A laugh caught Finn's attention, and he turned around, expecting Rachel. However, Quinn stood at the foot of the driveway, watching them with an amused smile on her flawless face. She approached them now, her short blonde hair blowing her hair back like a supermodel's. She was still so pretty that it almost left Finn breathless. Almost. He still didn't feel tethered to her, not like he did with Rachel.

Finn took Ryder down from his shoulders and handed him the ball. "Quinn, what are you doing here?" he asked her. He hadn't seen her in nearly six months. They had dated on and off for three years, but he had finally ended it awhile ago. He hadn't seen her since.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I came to see if the rumors were true. Seems they were. I never would have guessed Rachel would have hid something like this," she replied eyeing the kid, scrutinizing him. She could see Finn in the kid, more so than Rachel. He was a cute kid, she had to admit.

"She had her reasons," Finn told her, standing up for Rachel instinctively. He wasn't sure why, especially since he had thought the same thing over and over again. Sighing, he knew he needed to drop his defenses. Quinn hadn't come here to pick a fight. Hopefully.

"Reasons of hiding the fact that you had a child?" Quinn questioned. She never had liked Rachel. After he had left her twice for Rachel, she had grown bitter and resentful. Rachel had tried reaching out to her, but nothing seemed to work.

"We've discussed this, and I don't see how it really pertains to you anyway," Finn told her sternly. He was growing more and more resentful of Quinn. She was always so calculating and cold towards others, especially people she didn't like. He didn't want to be one of those people, but he also didn't want to be on the other end of that spectrum. Not anymore.

"I still care about you, Finn. I still love you," she confessed honestly. She touched his arm affectionately.

Finn moved his arm away from her. "I'm sorry Quinn, but we had our time together. We just aren't meant to be together," he told her truthfully. Saying those words were never easy, but he couldn't take her being hopeful about the two of them when it was not going to happen again. She had hurt him on more than one occasion.

"Is it because of her?" Quinn asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter." Finn was tired of having the same conversations over and over with Quinn. She didn't care that he was seeing other people. She only cared if Rachel was involved. There was bad blood there between the two of them, and he had no idea how to fix it, nor did he know why Quinn hated Rachel so much.

Sighing, Quinn looked away annoyed. Her blonde hair billowed in the breeze.

"Dad?" Ryder called out. Finn didn't know if he'd ever get used to hearing that. It was the sweetest word that could come out of his son's mouth. It made him want to drop everything to rush to his side and see what his son needed. "Can I slam dunk again?" he asked politely with a hint of a smile playing at his lips as he eyed the hoop.

Finn grinned. "Of course," Finn bent down to pick up his son and lift him up over his head and onto his shoulders easily. Quinn retrieved the ball for them and handed it to him before he dunked the ball.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>The three of them were laughing as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Rachel couldn't do anything other than watch as Quinn, Finn, and Ryder laughed and had fun together. Were Finn and Quinn together? She shook her head. What did she care? She had already resolved to not pursue Finn. He could date whomsoever he wanted. Even if it was Quinn, who just wasn't good enough for him.<p>

Rachel wanted to be with Finn, but her head and her heart were telling her two different things, and it was a battle she wasn't sure who was going to win.

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><p>What will happen next? How jealous will Rachel be upon seeing Quinn and Finn together? How jealous will Quinn become when Rachel comes to get Ryder?<p>

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Phone Calls

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Phone Calls**

Rachel couldn't stand just watching them anymore. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she took a deep breath and strolled across the street and came up behind Finn and Ryder. Ryder, upon seeing his mom, broke out into a huge grin and ran to her, jumping into her open arms, hugging her tightly. Rachel smiled lovingly and hugged her son back. She would never get tired of this feeling. He was the most precious person in her world.

Finn looked over at the two of them hugging, and he couldn't stop his own smile from creeping its way onto his face. When he was dating Rachel and he thought of his future, he always envisioned something like this. He'd be out playing with their child and when she comes home, she is doting upon their kid. It just always sounded like the picture perfect family.

He walked over to the two of them, rubbing Ryder's head affectionately. "How was the dinner date with Jesse?" he asked her curiously. She looked happy, happier than when she had left earlier by far.

Rachel stood up. "It was great, some of the other guys from Glee club showed up, so it was nice to see them again. A nice day to just get away from it all," she replied with a smile. She turned attention to Ryder. "How was the guys day out? A lot of bonding going on I'd imagine?" she cautiously eyed Quinn behind them, wondering how long she had been with them today.

Finn caught her looking at Quinn and got slightly nervous. He didn't want them to start fighting, and he didn't want Quinn to say or do anything that would set Rachel off. Rachel got jealous rather easily, and if he had any hope of getting back together with Rachel, he needed to make sure there wasn't any misunderstandings between them. He may not be the smartest student in the class, but he knew more than people gave him credit for.

"We had a fun time. Been outside for most of the afternoon. Quinn just got here, came to meet Ryder," Finn tried to assure her that there was nothing more between Quinn and himself. He made a note to talk to Rachel about this when Quinn was gone and Ryder wasn't listening.

Rachel looked at Ryder, "Did you have fun?" she asked him.

He nodded his head enthusiastically. "Ya! Dad and I played basketball!" Ryder exclaimed excitedly. "I got to slam dunk the ball!"

"You did! Can I see you do it again?" Rachel asked with an expression that could only be described as the way a proud mother could stare at her child.

Quinn envied her. Not because she had gotten out of Lima, Ohio. Not because Rachel had gotten to be with Finn. Not even because she had had Finn's baby. What she was most envious of was the fact that Rachel had gotten to have the experience of being a mother and do all of the things a doting mother should do, like make boo-boos feel better, seeing their first steps, teaching him how to ride a bike, being there when they succeed, helping them when they fail.

Quinn didn't regret her decision of giving up Beth. There was no way she could have supported a baby in High School. Not with all the work that came with being popular. Her mother couldn't have handled a kid at her age, and her father wanted nothing to do with her. A nanny would have been impractical. The baby was better off with her new family, of that Quinn had no doubt, but it still pained her when she thought of how old the baby would be now.

Beth would be two years older than Ryder was, and looking at the happy little family they had going on pained her because she didn't have that. What had she done wrong? She was the popular one. She should have been more successful, she should have gotten everything she ever wanted. Why was Rachel so much luckier than her? Rachel wasn't as pretty, as popular, or as smart. What did she possess that Quinn didn't have?

Sam was great, she couldn't deny that, but she just couldn't get over Finn. Because of that, she couldn't stop herself from getting jealous of him being with Rachel. He deserved so much better than her! He deserved to be with Quinn! She wished she wouldn't have ruined every chance she had to be with him, but she didn't know what to do anymore.

She had only been married to Sam for about a year. He had dated Mercedes for awhile, but he had come back to Quinn easily enough. Quinn bounced back and forth between Sam and Finn for years before Sam's proposal finally won her over. Until the beauty of it all wore off and bored her. She felt like such a whore, but she couldn't stop herself from being pulled from man to man.

Quinn couldn't stand watching them anymore. "I'm going to go home. See you around, Finn," she told him with a wink as she strolled off. That ought to keep Rachel jealous enough for awhile. She got into her car and floored the vehicle, peeling out of there as quickly as possible.

Rachel held in her jealous fit she wanted to unleash on Finn. It had been a month and a half since she had told Finn about Ryder. They had made so much progress together, and she didn't want to have to take a step back. The obvious way to resolve this would be to talk to Finn calmly about it before she let the envy take her over like it usually did. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.

"Thank you for watching Ryder. It seemed tonight was a grand success on all accounts," she tried to ignore the little, green envy giant dwelling within her. She wanted so much to push and ask about Quinn, but she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Not yet. Later.

Finn smiled, knowing she was annoyed with him, but he wasn't sure how to deal with it, so he tried his best to just overlook it. "I think it was, too. Next time, we should do something like this with the three of us." Sure, the three of them hung out all the time, but they had not yet been able to just take a whole day off for the both of them and hang out together with Ryder.

Rachel nodded her head. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll check my schedule at work and see if I can't take a day off within these next few weeks." She turned to Ryder. "Ryder, time to go." Ryder got up and started running over. "Grab the ball," Rachel told him, making him turn around to go get it, but he did what he was told.

Ryder came running with the ball and handed it over to Finn. "Thank you," Ryder told him with a huge grin on his face.

"You're welcome," Finn responded, waving to the two of them as they began the walk to Rachel's car.

Finn watched them go, and wasn't sure what to do with himself now. It wasn't late enough for him to just go to bed. Heading into the house, he hoped that there was something on the tv. Sitting in his big recliner, he thought about today's events. Quinn. He sure hoped she would back off and quit bothering him, but he had a feeling that today wasn't the last day he was going to see her. She was going to put up one hell of a fight, which was sad since she was married to Sam. Finn didn't want to hurt Sam, not again.

Sighing, Finn thought of Rachel as he so often did lately. Most times, she was the last thing he thought of before bed and the first thing he imagined in the morning. They hadn't had a chance to hang out just the two of them since she had been back. To really move on between them, they would need to have their time together as well. Finn sat up in his chair as he thought for a moment. A plan was forming in his mind as he walked into the kitchen to grab the phone.

Pushing a few numbers, he called the only person he could really think of that knew Ryder well enough to feel comfortable with watching him for a few hours. When Jesse answered, Finn continued, "Jesse, I need to ask a favor. Would you be willing to watch Ryder for a few hours tomorrow night?"

Jesse chuckled. "I was wondering when you were going to ask. But, yes, I can watch him tomorrow night. You and Rachel go out and have a great night," Jesse replied. He wasn't such a bad guy, and Finn was almost sad that he hadn't realized that fact sooner. It might have made his life a little easier earlier on.

"Great, thanks. Either Rachel or I will drop him off after school," Finn told him before saying his goodbyes and hanging up.

Dialing another number, he didn't even give her hardly enough time to say hello before he started talking. "I've got Jesse watching Ryder tomorrow so the two of us can go out and have a dinner on the town and talk and stuff," Finn said. "So, I will pick you up at your place around 6. Either you or I can drop Ryder off at Jesse's after school." Finn crossed his fingers, hoping she'd agree.

A moment passed, as though she was letting it all sink in. "I can drop Ryder off after school. Then you don't have to go out of your way," she agreed.

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow. Dress up," he added before hanging up the phone and doing a fist pump in the air. This was a good step in the right direction.

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><p>Yay! A date between Finn and Rachel? How's that going to turn out! The bad people from Rachel's past will be coming into play after this next chapter. So, stay tuned!<p>

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10: The much Anticipated Date

Because I got so many lovely reviews, I worked really hard to get this out tonight for you guys! You guys are the best for reviewing! You have no idea what it means to me! So, please keep it up! I so enjoy reading them!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**The Much Anticipated Date**

Hair curled. Make-up done. Little, red dress on. Black, high-heels: check. Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She hadn't gotten dressed up in years. Not for a date anyway. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the side and examined herself from her profile. Tilting her head slightly, her dark curls fell over her shoulder, and she thought she looked good for a single mom.

Wow. Back in high school, when she was asked where she saw herself in ten years, she had said a Broadway hit in New York. No doubt was found in her voice, no hint of timidness. She knew exactly what she wanted. She had hoped that maybe Finn could be talked into going with her, but she as the year drew to an end, she knew he was always meant to get out and see the world. She would only hold him back.

She never would have imagined herself back in Lima, Ohio, a Julliard dropout, someone running from the law. She never thought she'd have gotten pregnant right out of high school and not married. In fact, if she had been presented with this idea, she would have laughed about it and hated the idea.

Now, she wouldn't ask for anything else. Sure, she didn't like the fact that she no longer was able to sing as much as she wanted anymore, but she was able to teach kids about her love for song. She could see the happiness in their faces when they hit those high notes. She was a proud mother of a son who could accomplish so much. Ryder could always make her laugh in moments when she didn't think it possible. He was her everything.

Smiling to herself in the mirror, she wondered what Finn had felt and thought in the time that she was gone. She really wanted to discuss that most of all tonight. Where were they headed? Was there a future for the two of them? She hoped so. She felt safer with him as though nothing could touch her; she was invincible around him.

The doorbell rang then and she hurried into the living room and opened the door to find Finn, who was wearing a nice, white shirt under a black suit jacket that wasn't buttoned. He looked so dashing that Rachel couldn't stop the grin from forming on her lips as his gaze fell on her figure. She liked the feeling of him checking her out. It made her feel good.

"You look so beautiful," he told her, his voice tender and genuine. He had a bouquet of flowers in his arms that he extended to Rachel. "These are for you. They were the nicest ones I found at the floral shop. I even got the opinions of all the girls in the store." He met her gaze, and she wanted to just pull him into her arms and hold him all night long.

"They are gorgeous," Rachel said after smelling them. She beckoned him inside as she hurried into the kitchen to find a glass to put water in for the flowers. After setting it as a centerpiece on the table, she turned to Finn, who extended his arm. They left the house, and Finn opened the car door for her. He was a perfect gentleman.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>The food was delicious. Finn had taken her to a little Italian restaurant that was famous in this part of town. After they paid, they took a walk through a park. They stood on the white, wooden bridge and looked out across the stream that went under the bridge. Rachel hopped up onto the railing and stood there with Finn at her side. Standing so close to Rachel, Finn couldn't help but stare at her. She was so gorgeous. It was hard to think that everyone had made fun of her in high school. Sure, she had dressed a little differently than the popular girls, but she was still special.<p>

Rachel smiled at Finn as she looked out at the park before them. It was so romantic. "This was lovely, Finn. I'm glad you brought me out here." She meant every word. "This is a truly special evening for me. I haven't been out like this in a long time," she admitted, embarrassed. She was sure he had been out with tons of people before her, and here she was, only having been with a few guys since she had left Ohio.

"Didn't you go out on dates in New York?" Finn asked her; he had been wondering this since for weeks now, but had never had the guts to say anything. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Rachel got serious. "To be completely honest, I never really got over you. My two years in New York was too busy for me to get involved with anyone, and I still loved you too much to try to date. Then, I began thinking that a father figure for Ryder would be great, so I dated a few people from the office, but they never stayed around for very long. I just couldn't commit to them. Something was keeping me from getting too serious about them." She looked down into her hands, ashamed of herself. She had been so hung up over him.

Finn reached across and took her hand in his gently. "Maybe you couldn't be serious with them because we were meant to have another chance," Finn suggested. He may not be too bright, but he believed everything happened for a reason.

Rachel smiled. "What about you? I know you and Quinn had a thing together." She couldn't meet his gaze now. She was too angry at herself for being jealous over something that happened in the past, but she desperately wanted to know about the two of them.

"I want to be honest with you," Finn told her, reaching up and making her look at him. He stared into her eyes, hoping she could see the truthfulness to his words. "When you left, it hurt me a lot. Quinn was there, and I probably only agreed to go out with her initially to try and forget about you. We were together for a little bit before I left to Cleveland. Then, when I moved back, Quinn and I sort of just got back together; I don't really know how it happened. We were together on and off for three years. She and Sam got real close when we were off for awhile, and she bounced between the two of us for awhile. Sam finally proposed to her, and she said yes. I went to the wedding, and we continued to talk for a few months, but when the novelty of being married wore off, I think she wanted to still be together with me. She was just so unsure of what she really wanted. I couldn't do that to Sam. So, I broke off contact with her about six months ago. She came by yesterday to see Ryder. She told me she still loved me, but I think she just said that because she didn't want anyone else to have me but her."

Rachel let that all sink in. He had been so honest with her that it made her want to cry. "I know how she feels," Rachel said after a moment. "It hurt so much leaving you behind. It was so hard. I thought I had buried all those feelings, but when I saw you again, it all resurfaced. I just don't deserve you after all I have done." Rachel felt wonderful getting that all off of her chest. Finn could finally know how she felt.

Finn moved so that he was standing directly in front of her. He grabbed Rachel's hands, which were in her lap. "Rachel, while you didn't make the best decisions six years ago, I still want to be with you. I want to try this again. You are a wonderful woman, and it was a mistake. No sense in looking back and regretting what happened. What's done is done. Let's just look to the future together," Finn told her.

Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, shocked by what he said. He was so sincere, so honest. How could he still love her after all she had done? "Finn, I don't know what to say," Rachel shook her head, at a loss for words, a rare occasion.

Finn smiled faintly as he began singing:

"_If there's anything you need_

_All you have to do is say_

_You know you satisfy everything is me_

_We shouldn't waste a single day."_

Rachel didn't sing with him yet, so he persisted:

"_So don't stop me falling_

_It's destiny calling_

_A power I just can't deny_

_It's never changing_

_Can't you hear me I'm saying_

_I want you for the rest of my life."_

Rachel began singing now, truly happy for the first time in so long. She wanted to be with Finn; it was what she had wanted for so long now. It was finally coming true, and it was hard for her to think of this as reality. She didn't want to go to sleep because her reality at this moment in time was finally better than her dreams.

"_Together forever and never to part_

_Together forever we two_

_An don't you know_

_I would move heaven on earth_

_To be together forever with you_

_If they ever get you down_

_There's always something I can do_

_Because I wouldn't ever wanna see you frown_

_I'll always do what's best for you."_

Finn was looking dead into her eyes and saw the happiness emanating from her. Seeing her so happy made him all the more happy. Ryder had told him that his mom didn't sing much anymore, and Finn knew that she missed it terribly. Singing was Rachel's life. It always had been and always will be, and he wanted to make sure she continued to sing. It would be a waste otherwise.

"_There ain't no mistaking_

_It's true love we're making_

_Something to last for all time_

_It's never changing_

_Can't you hear me I'm saying_

_I want you for the rest of my life_

_Together forever ..._

_So don't stop me falling ..._

_Together forever …"_

Rachel leaned forwards and pulled Finn down to her, kissing him passionately on the lips. Her hands on the sides of his face worked their way through his hair. One of Finn's hands were at the base of her neck while the other was on her hip, pulling her close to him. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to ever part from her. They deepened the kiss before pulling apart breathless, resting their foreheads together.

"Move in with me," Finn told her, not moving from their position.

Rachel wondered aloud. "Are we moving too fast here?"

"We've known each other since High school; there is history between us. I feel like I know you better than I know myself, and it might be crazy, but I don't want to be apart from you and Ryder. I want to be together under one roof with the both of you. I want to make this work. I want to take a shot at being a family like how it should have been from day one." Rachel smiled as a tear fell from her eyes. "So, what do you say?" Finn asked her.

Rachel answered with another kiss.

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><p>Lots of fluff! Hope you all liked it!<p>

Next chapter will bring in Rachel's past!

**Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Revelations

I got so many reviews from the last chapter, and I really tried to get it written sooner, but I just got moved into my new house, so my parents came and visited me. And then, I had to go to work, so I know it's a little late, but I hope you'll forgive me. I tried to make it a little longer than all the others! I hope that makes up it! Thank you so much for all of your guys' support! It is so wonderful to read your reviews! It means the world to me!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

Now, on to what you really want! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**Revelations**

Rachel awoke bright and early. She had been sleeping so well lately. Last night, she had dreamed of the night her and Finn had gone to the bridge a couple of weeks ago. That night had been so perfect. Being with Finn like she had was just something she had always hoped for but never really expected to happen, so for it to actually come true was a treat.

After their intimateness on the bridge in the park, they had brought it back to Finn's house and continued late into the evening where it got quite heated between them. She hadn't been with a man in that way for years, and it was so invigorating to finally feel that way. And to have it with Finn was all the more special. She was getting her hopes up that this was going to work. It had to. They were meant to be together. It was practically written in the stars.

Smiling to herself, she got dressed for work. She just couldn't stop smiling. She was just too happy. It had been so long since she had felt this way that she didn't know what to do with herself. She had moved into Finn's spacious house, and was already used to the routine they had started. Finn was always up before she was, as he wanted to be done with work early enough so that he could pick Ryder up from school since Rachel would be the one getting him there, and she worked a little later at the studio.

After going and waking up Ryder, she went and got the mail. She sorted through the bills and found a letter that didn't have a return address. Curious, she threw the rest of the mail onto the kitchen table as she opened the cupboard and grabbed a box of cereal for Ryder, setting it on the table. She quickly ripped open the envelope and opened the letter. It was typed, not hand written; it read:

_You can run. But, you cannot hide._

Rachel paled. How had they found her so soon? It had only been a a couple of months since she had left New York. She had changed their names. It couldn't be that simple. There was just no way that they were here; it had to be a bluff. She tore the letter in half and threw it in the trash can, burying it under other trash to hide it from Finn. She finished getting Ryder's breakfast ready as she noticed that she was shaking. What were they going to do to her? To Ryder? To Finn?

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn held the door open for Ryder to walk in ahead of him. Ryder had vocal lessons with his mom today, and Finn liked to be there to watch and observe as his two most precious people in the world sang. It was the most gorgeous melody he had ever heard. Days like today were ones he looked forward to the most. Sometimes, at the end of the session, Finn would join in and sing with them. As a family.<p>

Yes, it was finally starting to feel like a family. They did things every other family did. Ate suppers together, watched TV together, helped Ryder do homework together, read him bed time stories, and played together after supper. The only thing missing was the ring on Rachel's finger, but he wasn't ready for that leap. Not quite. He wanted to give them a little time to make sure this was going to work.

There hadn't been any problems thus far, but it had only been two months. He wanted to do this right. He wanted to take it slow and easy. He couldn't afford to go too quickly and scare her away. He didn't think he'd be able to handle it if she left and took Ryder with her. He had grown too attached to the both of them, that he got depressed just thinking about how empty his life would be without them.

Just being able to live under the same roof as Rachel meant the world to him. He hadn't felt the touch of a woman so intimately in such a long time. He relished their time together. Most nights, he wished the sun would never rise so that he could spend the whole night with her and her alone. She was so beautiful, and he knew that he would never think less of her. She was just too special.

Rachel was at her desk, furiously typing on her computer. Something was off; Finn sensed that right away. She didn't look as happy as she normally did, and when she looked up at them, Finn would have sworn there was a hint of fear in her eyes. He frowned, unsure if it was because of something he did, but thinking about it, he couldn't think of anything he might have done to offend and upset her.

"Is everything alright?" Finn asked her as they approached her desk. He leaned up against Jesse's desk, which was vacant. Probably performing with some kids or something,

She quickly closed the tab she had been in and turned to face them, putting on a fake smile as she looked at Ryder, unable to meet Finn's gaze. "Ya, just finishing booking some clients for next week," she lied, hoping that Finn wouldn't question her further about the matter. She turned to Ryder. "Ready?" she asked him.

Ryder nodded enthusiastically. "Ya!" he cried as he hurried into the studio.

"Start your warm-up exercises!" Rachel called after him with a smile, shaking her head. He really enjoyed these days, and so did she. She hoped that by working with Ryder, it would take her mind off of her little problem, even for a few minutes.

"Okay!" Ryder called out after he disappeared beyond the door, as it closed behind him silently. Rachel could hear the faint sounds of him warming up as he was told. He sounded so good. He'd be better than she was, of that she was sure.

Rachel started to go in after Ryder, but Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a light kiss on the lips. Rachel clung to him, deepening the kiss even further. She hadn't kissed him like this since she had run after graduation. Finn knew automatically that something was wrong, and if he didn't know any better, he thought she was going to run away. What had her so scared? Finn got caught up in the kiss as he held her back as though he would never let go. He wouldn't let her run. Not this time.

As she pulled away, he grabbed her and hugged her. "You're scaring me, Rachel. What's going on?" he asked, taking in her scent, burning it into his very being. She meant so much to him. Didn't she have any idea how much it hurt him to see her this way. Why didn't she think she could trust him with the answers?

Rachel went rigid as though she wasn't sure what was going on. Finally, she answered, "There is just some stuff from New York that has gone unfinished." Her arms worked their way up and down along his back, feeling the lean muscles beneath his skin. How she would miss doing this.

Rachel knew she would have to run. There just wasn't any way around it. She couldn't let Finn get caught up in all of this because of her. This was her mess. She would sort it out on her own. She knew that it was better that she left Finn now and have her heart feel as though it was ripped right out of her chest rather than have him hurt because of the mess that was following her.

Finn knew better than to trust those words with her staying here. "Rachel, how are we supposed to be together if you are refusing to trust me with what is going on? I know there is something big in New York. Something big that is following you. You won't ever talk about your reasons for wanting to leave the city other than you want to start over, but you won't elaborate on the why."

Tears were welling up in her eyes now. "I think that it would be better if we went our separate ways. I don't want you to get hurt," she told him. "If you get too involved, things won't work out for you," she told him.

Finn's eyes clouded over. "I'm already too involved. I was too involved the moment you introduced Ryder to me. I am not letting you leave and take my son away from me. I'm not losing either of you again. I can't take it. We will get through this. Together," Finn assured her, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

Rachel shook her head. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me," she said, fighting back the sobs that wanted to take over her body, but she wouldn't let them overtake her. She needed to come across as strong so that Finn would let her go.

It was Finn's turn to shake his head. "I'd be more hurt if you left me." And he meant it. He'd rather die than watch Ryder and Rachel leave him again.

Rachel looked up at him, not so sure of what to do now. The uncertainty was clear in her misty eyes. She wanted someone to just tell her what to do. Why couldn't life just be simple for a change? Why did it always have to be so complicated? "My past from New York is so messed up, Finn. I think you would leave no matter what I told you."

Finn frowned. "There is no way that I would leave. You have my word." He had both hands on either shoulder now for emphasis. "Tell me."

She nodded. "I will tonight. I'll have Jesse watch Ryder."

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn didn't want to prod her, but he really wished she would start explaining already. They had been sitting there for seven minutes and twenty one seconds now without her saying a word. She was probably just trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say. This couldn't be easy for her.<p>

"About four months ago, I was walking home from work," Rachel finally said, interrupting Finn's thoughts. He immediately turned his attention to her. "It was raining pretty hard out at the time, and I ducked down an alley, a short cut to get to the apartment. I had taken the route numerous times before, so I knew where I was going. But, as I got farther and farther down the alley, I knew something was wrong…."

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><p><em>Flashback<em>

The rain stung Rachel's face as she hurried along the alley, sticking close to the sides of the buildings to keep dry. Turning the corner into the back alley, she heard voices and stopped in her tracks as she saw a big, burley man take a swing at another guy. Two more guys stood around and watched the fight unfold. All were the same build. Tall, heavier set, muscular, and bald. Rachel recognized that they were probably from a gang.

She stayed as close to the building as she could to shroud herself in the shadows and remain unseen. But, as the three men began beating the man to death, Rachel was struggling with herself on whether or not she should say something. It would be the right thing, but she was risking her life, and she had to think about Ryder, who was awaiting her return. So, Rachel stayed quiet as she watched the blood splatter on the walls.

She started to cry, and the men heard her sobs. They came running towards her, and she took off running, but she tripped and fell, allowing them to close the distance between them. They got a good look at her face and she theirs. Getting to her feet, she ran down the alley and disappeared into the sea of people all trying to out run the rain. She ran all the way to the apartment, slamming the door closed behind her.

"Miss? What is it?" her housekeeper asked her, rushing to Rachel's side. A look of concern would not leave her face as she lead Rachel into the living room, where she plopped down on the couch. The housekeeper hurried into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

Rachel took the water, but didn't drink from it. She was in shock. Reaching for her purse, she realized that it was not on her shoulder as it should have been. She had dropped it in the alley when she had fallen and failed to grab it when she ran away.

_End Flashback_

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><p>"They had my ID. They knew who I was, and sent a few people after me to silence me, but I had been lucky enough to be out and just coming back when I spotted them. I packed up my things and ran," Rachel explained.<p>

"Why didn't you just go to the police?" Finn asked after a moment. The story wasn't fully sinking in. This was only something that he saw in movies or read in books. How could this be real?

Rachel shook my head. "I tried, but they dismissed me as being paranoid. My description of the men was too standard, and they couldn't do anything without proof. The body and blood had been cleaned up, so they thought I was making up some wild story. It's a gang, and they are more than thorough. I need to keep running, or they will catch up with me and do who knows what!"

Finn shook his head. "We need to figure this out together. We will go down to the police station come Monday morning. Nothing is open on the weekends here. It sounds like this gang is taking their time, so I don't think they'll do anything. I'll close the shop and stay with you and Ryder both days at all times. I'm not letting anything happen to you," Finn told her, his voice so certain. He meant every word.

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><p>There ya go! The explanation behind what happened in New York! What does the weekend have in store for this little family?<p>

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12: I Love You

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I had to work late the past few nights. Heck, I worked late tonight, but I stayed up to finish this. I won't be able to post again for a few nights. I am going home for a few days and there is no internet. Please don't hate me!

If I get really ambitious, get inspired, and have the time, I'll work on the next chapter and try to get up tomorrow night before I leave. Otherwise, I won't be able to post again until Sunday night. Please don't hate me! Because of that, I made this chapter a little longer than the others! I hope that can make up for this!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**I Love You**

When Rachel awoke the next morning, she was laying in the arms of a very strong man. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and moaned in delight. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of this feeling. The feeling of security, protection, and love all combined in one person who is eager to share his feelings. Rachel smiled to herself as she turned and wrapped her arms around Finn, hugging him gently. He smelled so good, and Rachel couldn't help but breath him in.

Finn had been awake for a while. He couldn't sleep much. Not after everything she had shared with him the day before. It was unsettling to know that no one had been there to help Rachel through all this. Well, he'd be damned if he was going to let these punks get her or Ryder. They were his, and no one was going to take them away from him. Not this time; not while he was aware of the situation.

He felt Rachel hugging him, and he gently squeezed her back. He kissed her forehead over and over again before moving down to kiss her on the lips. She tasted so good; she felt so good. His hand was on her hips, moving up and then back down again while she had her hands working their magic on his back, under his shirt. Her hands sent little jolts coursing through his body. She felt so right. So perfect. He pulled her into him, as close as he could get her. Rachel rolled on top of Finn, wanting to be waken up like this every morning.

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><p>~.~<p>

* * *

><p>Rachel, now dressed, got breakfast ready for herself and the boys. Ryder came bounding into the kitchen and was soon followed by Finn. She smiled at the two of them as they sat at the table, waiting to have breakfast served. Rachel gladly did just that before joining them at the table herself.<p>

"What are we going to do today?" Ryder asked eagerly as he chewed on a forkful of scrambled eggs, his favorite breakfast.

Rachel and Finn had explained to Ryder that neither himself nor Rachel would be able to leave the house today for any reason. They'd just have to make their own fun for themselves for the next few days. Ryder hadn't been phased by it. Probably because he loved spending time with his mother and new found father together as a family. But, what kid didn't?

"Well, I was thinking we could build a fort this morning and play board games until we got bored. I have your favorite movie and thought we could have a movie night with popcorn or something tonight," Rachel suggested, listing off all of the things she had thought of as she had gotten ready.

"A fort?" Ryder exclaimed excitedly. He started jumping up and down in his seat. Rachel and Finn smiled at the same time watching him get all worked up. It was the cutest darn thing Finn had ever seen.

"Yup, a fort! We'll have fun!" Finn promised him.

And for the remainder of the day, the three of them had fun doing just that. The weekend passed uneventfully. When Monday rolled around, Rachel and Finn had no choice but to go about their lives as they normally would. No sense in keeping Ryder from school or Rachel from work.

Finn, being the overprotective man that he was, went to the studio to meet her for lunch. She was in the middle of a class, teaching some ballet moves to a few older aged women, who seemed to be enjoying it. Rachel was such a good teacher; Finn could see that. She always had been caring like that. He remembered all the times she had gone out of her way to help him during Glee club all those years ago. It had really helped him come a long way. Probably how they got to all be so good.

Rachel saw Finn come in and dismissed the class a few minutes later. She ran over to him, a smile on her face. "Lunch?" she asked as she started for the back porch. They had met like this on more than one occasion. Rachel looked forward to their lunch together. It was rather relaxing and it gave her something to look forward to during the morning, and it gave her something to think about in the afternoon.

He nodded, holding up the basket of food he held in his hand, "Of course!" he returned her smile with a grin of his own before following her out the back door. "I'll grab Ryder today and then come get you and we can go home together," he told her as they sat down at one of the tables.

Rachel shook her head. "You don't have to do that. Doubling back is out of your way. Just go home after you get Ryder. Nothing has happened in a few days. I'm sure we'll be fine for the few minutes it'll take me to walk back home." Home. That's what Finn's house was. It was her home. How the sound of that made her smile.

It was Finn's turn to shake his head. "I don't trust that. They could be lying in wait to get you alone," Finn insisted. He handed her her favorite bottled water before grabbing a pop that he had brought for himself.

Rachel gave him a look. "I can have Jesse walk me home, ok? It'll be fine, I promise. You worry too much," she shook her head, but it felt good knowing that he worried about her so much. Why would she complain that Finn loved her so much that he was afraid to leave her alone in case something bad happened?

Finn didn't want to give in, but she was so sure that he relented. "Fine. But, Jesse has to walk you home. Deal?"

Rachel nodded. "Of course!"

After they got done eating, she turned to Finn. So, I practiced a song this morning. Want to sing with me?" she asked him. When Finn nodded, she pulled him after her into the studio and hit the play button on the stereo after handing him the sheet music to the song she wanted to sing. She had found it and knew she had to sing it with Finn. It was perfect and so romantic that she couldn't pass it up.

_This one goes out to you and yours_

_Worldwide_

_I say hey I'll be gone today_

_But I'll be back all around the way_

_It seems like everywhere I go_

_The more I see_

_The less I know_

_But I know one thing_

_That I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

She smiled as she saw Finn's eyes light up upon hearing her sing. This was such a special song, and she loved it a lot.

_I've been a lot of places all around the way_

_I've seen a lot joy and I've seen a lot of pain_

_But I don't want to write a love song for the world,_

_I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl_

_Junkies on the corner always calling my name_

_And the kids on the corner playing ghetto games_

_When I saw you getting down well I hoped it was you_

_And when I looked into your eyes I knew it was true_

_I say Hey I'll be gone today_

_But I'll be back all around the way_

_It seems like everywhere I go_

_The more I see_

_The less I know_

_But I know one thing_

_That I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

Rachel felt that the lyrics were really true when it came to her and Finn. Especially so when she had first gotten back to Lima, Ohio and she hadn't been real sure about much of anything except that she loved Finn with her whole heart and soul, but she hadn't been sure about what to do about it. She only wished she had found this song sooner. It might not have helped, but it still would have been a great song to sing.

Then, Finn joined in:

_Now I'm not a highly metaphysical man_

_But I know when the stars are aligned you can_

_Bump into person in the middle of the road_

_Look into their eyes and you suddenly know_

_Rocking in the dance hall moving with you_

_Dancing in the night in the middle of June_

_My momma told me don't lose you_

_'Cause the best luck I had was you_

_I said Hey I'll be gone today_

_But I'll be back all around the way_

_It seems like everywhere I go_

_The more I see the less I know_

_But I know one thing_

_That I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

He loved this song. Rachel had done a great job picking it out, but then, when had she not been good at doing that? She knew music like he knew sports, and that was saying something. She was so talented. It was such a waste that she hadn't been able to really attend Julliard. But, if she had gone to school there, he might not be singing with her right now. So, maybe some good came out of her not being able to go to the school.

_And I said rocking in the dance hall moving with you_

_I said Hey momma hey momma close to you_

_Rocking in the dance hall moving with you_

_I said hey papa, hey papa close to you_

_Rocking in the dance hall moving with you_

_I said Hey Momma hey momma close to you_

_Rocking in the dance hall moving with you I said_

_Hey momma, hey momma, hey momma, hey momma_

_Hey momma, hey momma, hey momma, hey momma_

_My momma told me don't lose you_

_Cause the best luck I had was you_

_And I know one thing that I love you_

_I said I'll be gone today_

_But I'll be back all around the way_

_It seems like everywhere I go_

_The more I see the less I know_

_I said I'll be gone today_

_But I'll be back all around the way_

_It seems like everywhere I go_

_The more I see the less I know_

Rachel joined Finn in the last few lines of the song:

_But I know one thing that I love you_

_I love you _

_I love you _

_I love you _

"I do love you," Rachel told Finn before reaching up on tiptoe to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I love you, too," Finn replied, kissing her back.

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><p>~.~<p>

* * *

><p>Finn arrived at the school right on time. He didn't see Ryder coming out of the school as early as he usually did. When it got to be a few minutes, Finn decide to go to his classroom and see if he had been called to stay after. When he arrived at the classroom, the teacher was just putting her stuff away. Finn frowned, but knocked on the door politely anyway.<p>

The teacher looked up. "Yes? May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm Ryder Hudson's father. I didn't see him outside. I thought maybe he had been asked to stay a little longer," Finn told her.

The teacher frowned and shook her head. "No, he was let out with the rest of the students. I'm sure he's out there somewhere. You probably missed him."

Finn's face paled as he raced out of the room. What if the people that was after him had gotten to Ryder before he had? What would they do to him? Finn's heart was racing; what would he do when Ryder wasn't there waiting for him? He couldn't fathom the pain and anguish he'd feel.

Running outside, Ryder was no where to be seen. Finn started to panic as he raced around the school searching for him. _Please be here somewhere!_ he prayed to the heaven up above. He had to be ok. He just had to be.

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><p>Cliffhanger! Yay! Where's Ryder?<p>

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13: Panic Stricken

Your guys' reviews really make me so happy! I can't put into words how much I love getting up in the morning and seeing the reviews! It inspires me so much! So, a shout out to all of you guys! Thanks!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Panic Stricken**

Finn's heart was pounding at twice its normal rate as he raced around the school searching for his missing son. A million thoughts were floating through his head in a jumbled up mess. How was he going to tell Rachel he was missing? It was those thugs from New York! It had to be them. How was he going to stay strong for Rachel and everyone else? Why hadn't he gone to the police like he had originally wanted? Stupid! Stupid!

So many little kids were running around, but why could none of them be his own? He got out his phone and dialed Rachel's phone. He had better get this done with now. No sense in prolonging the call. After he called her, the police were second on his list. These thugs were going to pay, and if the police wouldn't help him, he'd do it on his own. No way was anyone taking away any family. Not now, not ever.

Rachel wasn't answering. Probably stuck in class. Panic stricken, Finn decided to head over to the playground. Maybe some of the kids there had seen him. Then, he'd call the police. He needed solid proof that he was taken, and if there were eye-witnesses, it would be better.

"Finn!" a voice called out to him. Stopping, Finn turned and saw Noah Puckerman jogging over to him. "Hey, bro! I've been looking everywhere for you. The guys want to know if you want to come over for poker night? It's Sam's turn to host the party. You game?"

"You came all the way to the school for that?" Finn asked skeptically, thinking there was more to it than that. Was something wrong with Rachel? Man, his brain was going to fry from being overloaded.

Puck nodded. "Sure, I mean, I needed to get out of the house and away from Lauren. She's great and all, but she wanted me to do some cleaning. That's not how I roll. I'd rather be doing something else if you know what I mean," Puck joked. When he saw Finn's pain stricken face. "Dude, what's wrong?"

Finn shook his head before running to the back of the school building to the playground. "It's kind of hard to explain, but Ryder's been kidnapped," Finn replied. The red tornado slide was the first thing that came into view. There were only a few kids playing on the equipment.

Puck followed close behind. "Kidnapped? You're sure? Why would anyone want to kidnap your kid?" Puck scanned the area for Ryder or some culprit that might look suspicious. No one messed with his friends. He frowned when he caught sight of the kid Finn said had been kidnapped. "Uh, Finn?"

Finn turned around and looked at Puck, "What?" he asked impatiently.

Puck nodded his head towards the basketball court where Ryder was playing ball with a few other boys. "Ryder's over there." When Finn sighed in relief and began running over to him, Puck followed close behind. "What's going on? Why did you think he had been kidnapped?"

"I'll explain later, okay," Finn called over his shoulder as he reached the basketball courts and rushed over to Ryder. "Ryder!" he called out as he dropped to his knees and hugged his son. "I was so worried about you!" he exclaimed as he held Ruder in his arms, on hand on the nape of his son's neck, the other clinging to his back. "I thought I'd lost you."

Ryder hugged Finn back briefly before realizing his friends were watching. Then, he pulled away. "I was just showing Johnny and Michael how fast I could run now. Johnny didn't think I'd be able to beat him in a race. But I did!" Ryder was so proud of himself, so oblivious to all of the panic he had caused Finn.

Finn couldn't hardly argue. His son's beaming face was too precious; he didn't have the heart to ruin that. "Next time, wait for me and tell me what you are going to be doing. You can't just run off on your own. You had me worried. I almost called your mom," Finn explained. "Something bad could have happened to you."

Ryder shook his head. "Don't tell Mom! She worries too much."

Finn nodded. "I'm not going to, but if you do this again I will. Deal?" Finn leveled with him.

Ryder nodded his head. "Deal!"

"Good. Now, say goodbye to your friends so we can get home and surprise your mom with a home cooked meal by us. How does that sound?" Finn offered with a smile.

"Sure," Ryder nodded his head enthusiastically. "Bye Michael! Bye Johnny! See you tomorrow! I gotta go!" They waved goodbye before joining Puck in the walk back. To the car.

"I'll give you guys a lift home," Puck offered. He still didn't want to go home. He turned to Finn as Ryder rushed off ahead of them. "So, I'm guessing it's a no to the poker night at Sam's?" Puck said.

Finn nodded. "Unfortunately, right now is not a good time. I've got a lot of stuff going on right now, and I can't afford to leave Rachel and Ryder alone." Ryder reached the car and hopped into the backseat, buckling his seatbelt right away. Rachel had taught him well, that was for sure. He was such a well behaved kid. Puck was glad he didn't take after Rachel too much, though. One annoying, mouthy, opinionated person was enough.

Puck frowned. "What's going on? I want to help, but I can only do that if you tell me."

Finn sighed and glanced over at Ryder who was sitting patiently in the car. "There are some bad people looking for Rachel and Ryder. They sent Rachel a letter, so they know where she lives. We're all a little freaked out right now." There, he had finally told someone. It was good to get that off his chest. How had Rachel felt keeping something like that a secret for four months?

Puck was taken aback. "Rachel? In trouble with some bad people? Sounds more like something that would happen to me," Puck replied honestly.

Finn nodded. "No kidding, which is why she is so freaked out about it. So, I got to get back and make sure they aren't left alone. I don't want anything to happen to either of them, and I don't think it will as long as I am there with them."

Puck nodded in agreement. "Just call me if you need anything. You know we all are here to help you. How is Rachel getting home?"

"Jesse is going to walk her home. She insisted that I didn't need to double back and get her. So, Jesse's going to bring her." Finn answered before heading to the car and getting in.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>"Well, I'm going to head home," Rachel called out, hoping that she could get out before Jesse would insist on walking her home. She didn't need to be babysat. She'd be fine on her own. She had pepper spray and her dads had made her take self defense lessens to prepare her for what could happen in New York. Besides, the people that could be after her hadn't tried anything in 3 days. Why would they start now?<p>

"Not without me you don't!" Jesse called after her, hurrying out into the hallway to meet her before she escaped out the front door without him.

She shook her head. "Jesse, no. I don't need you to walk me home. I'll be fine. I can handle myself. I promise."

Jesse shook his head. "No. Nice try, but I'm not buying it."

Rachel didn't budge. "Finn's place is out of your way. Just go home. It'll be fine," she was practically begging him to let her go alone. She didn't like feeling like anyone had to be there to protect her. After all, she was a self-righteous, self-serving woman. She could handle a walk on her own..

Before Jesse could say anything, his phone went off. Grabbing his phone, he saw it was a text from an unknown number. "Finn says I don't have to walk you. He's going to be here in a few minutes to pick you up. So, go wait for him outside the building," Jesse read. "There ya go. Now, I don't have to walk you. You go wait for him, I'm going to finish up some stuff here." Jesse wondered if Finn had gotten a new number. Why hadn't his phone recognized it as Finn? Shrugging it off, Jesse dismissed it as a phone glitch.

"Ok. Thanks, Jesse," she gave him a quick hug before heading outside to wait for Finn.

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><p>~.~<p>

* * *

><p>Puck was driving back to his house when he saw Jesse St. James walking along the street. Puck frowned. What was he doing here? He should be halfway to Finn's place right about now with Rachel. Puck slowed down and pulled as close to the sidewalk as he could. "Hey! Where's Rachel?" Puck yelled out the window.<p>

Jesse turned and looked over at Puck. "She went home with Finn. He came by and grabbed her."

"When?" Puck asked, confused. He had just dropped Finn and Ryder off. There was no way that they could have beaten him back to the studio, and it wouldn't make any sense. If anything, they would have had Puck drive over to the studio right after the school if they wanted to pick her up.

Jesse shrugged. "About ten minutes ago, I guess. Why?"

"Shit," Puck cursed. "That wasn't Finn! I just got done dropping him and Ryder off at the house!" Puck floored the truck and headed straight back to Finn's to give him the news. Those thugs that were after Rachel had finally made their move it seemed.

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><p>Dun Dun Dun! Another cliffhanger! I worked so hard to try and get this done before I left for home! So I hope it's ok!<p>

**Please Review!**


	14. Chapter 14: Captured!

I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I didn't get back until late last night, and then I worked all day today! I got this much done and decided to post it so you guys wouldn't hate me! ^^'

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**Captured**

Darkness surrounded her, leaving her feeling completely and utterly helpless. She hadn't felt this badly since she left Lima, Ohio the first time when she had to fend for herself without Finn. Rachel groaned, the pain in her head hitting her all at once. She realized the only reason it was dark was because her eyes were closed. She tried to open them, but she couldn't. She hurt too much.

Listening, she could hear voices faintly, as though they were in the next room. She tried to move her arms and realized that she was tied to something. Her head rolled to the side as she finally got her eyes to do what she wanted them to do. The room was dimly lit with a lone light bulb that flickered on the ceiling. It was a bare room except for herself and a bare counter along the wall near the door, which was closed.

Struggling against the rope that bound her, Rachel tried to see if there was any room for her to wriggle her way free, but the knot was tight and there was no room to free herself. Sighing in defeat, she hung her head. She felt drained of all her energy. The thugs must have drugged her before knocking her out.

Gosh she had been so stupid. Why hadn't she listened to Finn and left with Jesse. But, she just had to be stubborn and think that she was safe. She would never be safe from these people. They had finally caught her, and she was never going to see Ryder or Finn again. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Oh Ryder. He was going to be raised without a mother. Just like she was.

Granted, she had turned out alright, but that was only because she had never known her mother. She hadn't had her mother ripped out from under her like Ryder would. And, Finn. She had just gotten back with him. Everything was just starting to work out with him. They were getting so much closer and were finally connecting. She had never gotten the chance to telling him what she had been meaning to tell him for a few days now.

The door opened suddenly, and a man dressed in all black walked into the room. Rachel eyed him, sweat building on her forehead. After he was in the room, two other men walked in, and Rachel recognized them right away as the burley men from New York, the ones she had watched murder that poor man. She tired not to let her expression give herself away, as she didn't want to give them a reason to kill her.

"What made you think you could get away from us?" the man that came in first asked. He was taller and thinner than the other two men. He had salt and pepper hair and dark, menacing eyes, which were narrowed and glowering at her.

Rachel shrunk back, "I won't tell anyone what I saw!" she promised him, shaking her head as the tears spilled forth. She was so scared. The most scared she had ever been in her life, and this was including the time she had felt so scared giving birth to Ryder alone without anyone there with her.

"Of course you won't be telling anyone," Mr. Salt and Pepper hair told her with a sly smile on his face as he came closer to her. His hand was in his pocket and he pulled out a knife. He brought it within inches of her cheek. Rachel's eyes widened as he leaned down to her, whispering in ear. "Not after we're done here."

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>If anyone had told Puck six years ago that he would be in the same room as Finn and Jesse St. James working to save Rachel's life from men she had encountered in New York, he would have told them to screw off. He might even have slushied them in the face and laughed before walking away. He may have stuffed their head in the toilet for being so dumb. Puck could not have fathomed that him and Finn would ever get along with Jesse. He had been a royal prick to Rachel in high school. It was a little weird to think that Rachel herself was the one that had brought the three of them together.<p>

Finn was beginning to panic. Sitting at home, Puck had come back and explained everything that he knew. A short while later, Jesse had arrived as well. Finn had just gotten off the phone with the police, but they couldn't do anything until Rachel was missing for twenty four hours since they had no proof that she had been taken. She might have gone for a long walk and just wasn't back yet, the officer had told him.

Ryder came walking into the room. Finn had told him to go to his room and stay in there for awhile. Finn hadn't wanted him to hear that his mom was missing; no sense in worrying him more so than needed. "Where's Mom?" Ryder asked with a yawn. He was getting tired, but he couldn't sleep until his mom tucked him in for the night.

Finn turned around, looking defeated. "Your Mom is…." Finn couldn't think of what to tell him. The truth seemed a little too harsh for a six year old to handle, and Finn was too panicked to really think of a good lie to tell him.

"Your mom is staying over at a friend's house tonight. She wanted to give you and Finn some bonding time," Jesse covered for everyone. Jesse knew how hard it would be for Ryder to hear that his mom was kidnapped, and a panicky kid was not what anyone needed right now. It was best to keep him happy and content. Keeping him in his room would be ideal, but Jesse felt like that would be asking for too much.

"Can I call her?" Ryder asked politely. "She always calls me before I go to bed and tells me good night." He looked up at the three men innocently.

Jesse forced a smile that was crossed with a grimace. "She'll call later tonight. You haven't even eaten supper or taken your bath yet. When it gets closer to bedtime, we'll try to call her. Now, why don't you get to work on that bath?" Jesse suggested, pushing him gently into the bathroom. "Make sure you get squeaky clean, okay?"

"Okay!" Ryder cried out as he shut the door and began running water.

Jesse sighed as he went back into the living room with Puck and Finn. Puck was giving him an odd look. "What?" Jesse asked. "Did you want him out here when we were talking about a kidnapped Rachel?"

Puck shook his head. "No, but I'm surprised you're so good with kids. You were always a little self-absorbed that I didn't think you'd ever get over yourself long enough to care about anyone else." Blunt as always.

Jesse nodded his head slowly, "Well, I did some growing up, and I spend a lot of time with Ryder after school, so I know how to handle him. It's not too hard. I would have let Finn handle it, but he's too freaked out about Rachel being gone to really concentrate, and I didn't want him to accidentally let it slip." Jesse shrugged as he sat down on the couch.

Puck shook his head as if to say whatever before sitting on the recliner. Finn wanted to mentally kick himself. Ryder was his kid. He was the adult. He was supposed to be the one there to support and take care of Ryder. Not Jesse. But, Finn couldn't stay angry at Jesse since it was Finn's own fault that Jesse even had to step in in the first place. Sighing, he began pacing, trying to think of what to do next.

"Jesse, do you have that number that you assumed was Finn's?" Puck asked him suddenly. When Jesse nodded, he continued, "I mean, maybe we can call it back and see if anyone answers. Then, we'll have some place to start." Puck was the little deviant, so it was no wonder that he came up with the best plan of actions. If only Finn could get his head to think correctly, he could be doing the same.

"Good idea," Finn nodded.

Jesse grabbed his phone out of his pocket and began dialing the number back, hoping that they'd get some clue out of this, something that would help them find Rachel. She had to be okay. She just had to be.

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><p>What's going to happen to Rachel? Will someone answer the phone?<p>

**Please Review!**


	15. Chapter 15: Ransom

I'm so sorry for the late update! I've been working 12 hour days this week, and I will continue to do so for the summer, so I'm finding free time dwindling! But, I'm still working on the chapters, so don't worry about that! They just might not be updated every day. I wasn't around this weekend as I had a wedding to go to. Two of my best friends married each other! Yay! But, I got this written and wanted to get it out for you guys!

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**Ransom**

"Hello?" came a gruff voice from the other end of the phone, as if Jesse was annoying him by even calling.

"Uh," Jesse wasn't really sure what to say. He hadn't expected anyone to answer the call. "I got a call from this number, I think, and I was just calling it back," Jesse told the guy. He decided that honesty was the best option. Whether that panned out for him was yet to be seen.

There was a short pause on the other end of the phone, as if he was thinking long and hard about why Jesse would have gotten a call from their number. "You must have the wrong number," the man told Jesse after a few moments. He seemed rushed, as if he shouldn't have answered. Well, Jesse wasn't going to let him go that easily.

"Wait!" Jesse cried out, hoping the man wouldn't hang up on him. "You and your friends have my friend. Where is she? Just give her back. Don't make us involve the police," Jesse hoped that his little bluff would be enough to scare the man. Thugs were afraid of the police, right?

This seemed to anger the man. "You call the police and you're dead!" he threatened into the phone. Jesse could hear voices from the other end, like the other thugs had heard the yelling and were all wondering what was up. The voices were muffled now; he had his hand over the receiver so Jesse couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell they were not happy about something.

"So, you must be Rachel Berry's friends, huh?" a newer, calmer voice got on the phone this time. He seemed more collected, cooler.

Jesse stood up straighter and exchanged glances with Finn and Puck. "Yes," was all Jesse could say. He waited ever so patiently for the man to speak again, but it felt like this guy was just biding his time.

"You shouldn't worry about her anymore. We'll take great care of her," the man told him. His voice was creepy and had a tint of insanity about him. This guy would hurt Rachel and probably would relish in doing so.

"She has a son! Who will take care of him?" Jesse cried into the phone frantically, his composure was being lost.

The guy chuckled. "Well, with such great friends as you, I have no doubt you guys will be able to figure out."

"Where are you?" Jesse asked, getting angrier as the moments passed.

The guy sneered, "What are you gonna do? Come and kill us?"

"There's got to be something you guys would rather have than another death on your shoulders. You scared the crap out of her, she isn't going to tell anyone what she saw in New York. You got your point across. Now, maybe we can make some sort of trade?" Jesse was grasping at straws and hoped that he'd fall for the bait.

The man seemed to think for a moment. "Hmm… Well, money is always a great incentive."

"We'll get you the money; just don't hurt Rachel. How much do you want?" Jesse asked calmly. He eyed Puck and Finn with hopeful eyes.

"I want two million dollars in cash," the guy demanded.

"Two million dollars?" Jesse exclaimed. Where were they going to get that kind of money? "When do you need it by?"

"I'll give you until tomorrow night at 7 o'clock. I figure you love this girl so much, you'll work pretty quickly. I'll call you tomorrow at six and give you the directions to the switch. And, don't even think about calling the police, our there will be two deaths happening tomorrow." The guy hung up the phone.

Jesse took the phone down from his ear and looked up at Finn and Puck, who were both staring at him expectantly. "Well?" Puck asked. "What's the terms?"

"We have to get two million dollars in cash by tomorrow night or Rachel's dead." Jesse replied.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>"You lucked out, girlie. Your friends are going to buy you back," the leader of the gang told Rachel as he walked into the room. "If they come through with their end of the bargain, I'll let you free. But, you better cooperate until then. If you do, then you two can go home free."<p>

Rachel sighed in relief, but shied back when Mr. Leader walked over to her and gave her his sadistic grin. "What is that look for?" Rachel asked him, a bit terrified.

"It's just that normally, I wouldn't let anyone go. I'll have to be sure the men around here still know I haven't gone soft just because you're a pregnant woman," he said as he took out his pocket knife and held it up to Rachel's face. He slid the blade down her cheek, causing a red line to appear beneath the tip.

Rachel inhaled from the sting of the cut, jerking her head back, away from him. He flipped the knife in his hand and stabbed her in the thigh. Rachel cried out in pain. What had she done to deserve this? She had only ever done what she thought was best? How did it come down to this? This guy wasn't going to let her go tomorrow, Rachel thought, he's going to kill me no matter what.

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><p>~.~<p>

* * *

><p>As Jesse sat on the couch, going over his bank account and savings accounts, Puck and Finn were calling in favors from the members of the Glee Club, hoping that they'd be able to pitch in some money. Jesse had called the police and informed them on what had happened, and had already left with all the information they needed. He figured the men were too sadistic and would kill Rachel whether the police were there or not. At least with them along, they had a chance of catching the bastard.<p>

Jesse was going over what the man had said over the phone. Two deaths. Why two? Who, other than Rachel, was going to pay? Did he mean Jesse? Or Finn maybe? No, he would have just come right out and said that.

Finn walked into the living room, having put Ryder to bed about an hour ago, before the Police had arrived. "So, I got Quinn, Sam, Kurt, and my family pitching in as much as they can." When he saw Jesse's thoughtful face, he stopped. "What is it?"

Jesse shrugged. "The guy on the phone told me that there would be two deaths if we involved the police. I can't figure out who the second death is supposed to be."

Finn shrugged and sat down. "He probably meant Rachel and one of us."

"But why one of us and not all involved? No, it seemed as if…." Jesse stopped short, a look of fear crossed his features. "Oh God, Finn, Rachel isn't pregnant is she?"

Finn frowned. "She hasn't said anything to me. She's pregnant?" Finn felt faint. What was he going to do if he lost both Rachel and the unborn child? He couldn't loose them, not before he had been able to tell Rachel how much she had meant to him. No. She was going to be ok. They'd get the money in time.

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><p>Rachel's Prego? Bum. Bum. Bum!<p>

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16: You Found Me

Finally got a chance to write. Yes.

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**You Found Me**

Finn hugged Ryder tightly as he headed over to his mom's and Burt's place. Finn figured it would be good to keep Ryder out of the way while they tried to get Rachel back. What better place to keep Ryder than with his grandparents? Finn had told the two of them about Ryder, but had yet to bring Ryder over to actually see them. Which was weird since Ryder had been with Rachel's dads numerous times, but he supposed that was only because they had been there for her through the pregnancy and all the hard times that Finn hadn't.

Walking up the steps to the new house, Finn knocked once before opening the door and stepping inside. Finn set Ryder down inside the house and grabbed his hand, walking into the kitchen. "Mom? Burt?" Finn cried out when he found the kitchen empty as well.

"We're out here, Finn!" his mom called out from the back porch. The two of them loved sitting on the porch swing. Finn was happy his mom had found Burt, who made her so happy. The two were perfect together. Burt was a good guy, the closest thing he had to a real dad.

Finn and Ryder stepped onto the back porch and found Kurt and Blaine sitting on the porch steps and his mom and Burt on the porch swing. Ryder, who was a little shy at being in a room full of people he didn't really know, was practically hiding behind Finn's leg. Everyone's eyes were on him.

Finn stooped to pick Ryder up and hold him again. He wanted to comfort him, assure him everything was alright. "Mom, Burt, I'd like you to meet your grandson, Ryder," Finn introduced them with a grin, smiling as he watched his mom's face light up. Burt put an arm around his wife, his face beaming with pride. "Ryder, this is your grandma and grandpa."

"Hi, Sweetie," Finn's mom came to stand directly in front of Ryder. "I'm your grandma." She reached out, wanting to hug him.

Ryder looked a little hesitant at first, but his mom had told him stories of his grandma and grandpa, and he had always hoped that he'd be able to meet them someday. That day had finally come. "Grandma!" Ryder said, leaning forward, away from Finn to hug Finn's mom.

Finn's mom pulled Ryder out of Finn's arms and hugged him tightly before setting him down on his feet. "And those two knuckleheads over there are Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine," Finn finished the introductions.

"Hi," Ryder said, still a little shy. He was so new to all of this, and it was a lot to take in. Kurt and Blaine gave him a little wave and a head nod.

"Honey, do you want to get some cookies? I made some yesterday. Come on," she set him down and the two of them hurried back into the house.

Finn grinned as he watched the two of them, glad they had hit it off so well. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked Kurt and Blaine.

"We weren't just going to stay in Cleveland when we heard about Rachel. Everyone is coming back. We want to help," Kurt told him, both him and Blaine getting to their feet. "You aren't in this alone."

"Thanks, I know I'm not alone. But, I need you guys to watch Ryder," Finn said to Burt. "I want him out of the house until we get this figured out.

"Right. We will. You just go and make sure that boy has a mom to come back to. Don't you worry about Ryder. He'll be fine," Burt assured him, putting his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Thanks," Finn smiled before heading back to his car and back to the house. It would be time to make their move soon.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>"It's time. Call them and tell them the location," the leader of the little gang said after snapping his fingers. He turned to Rachel, "This will be short and easy, pretty lady. All you have to do is stay calm and do exactly as I say."<p>

Rachel nodded her head, her hair matted to her face where the hair had clung to her sweat ridden face. There was no way she was going to do anything to upset this man. He was psychotic enough the way it was, and there was no sense in adding to the list of things that seemed to piss him off.

He grabbed her by the neck and threw her forward, indicating she needed to start walking, and she did. Hurrying to stay in front of him so he wouldn't hurt her anymore. She hoped this would go quickly and smoothly. She prayed silently to herself.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn glanced at his watch. It was the time to make the trade. Where were they? Finn was alone, as instructed. The police were stationed nearby in different locations ready and waiting for the opportune moment. They were in a secluded park where there were a few people walking along the trail, but nothing real big. They probably wanted it this way, to keep Finn from doing anything in front of witnesses.<p>

Pacing, Finn looked around again, and saw a tinted windowed van pull up to the curb. After several moments, the doors finally opened and out came four men and Rachel! She was ok, a little dirty and bloodied. Finn felt sick to his stomach. Just how much damage had they done to her? Forcing himself to keep calm, he stared them down, the envelope full of money at the ready.

"You're Finn Hudson? This doll's hero?" He grabbed Rachel by the cheeks, squishing her cheeks together and forcing her to look at him.

"I'm here to make the trade. I have the money like I promised," Finn was getting rather nervous. They couldn't find out that there were cops around or they'd kill Rachel. Hands sweaty and shaking, he took the money out of his pocket and held it up for them to see.

The leader of the group gestured to the rest of the men to go grab the money. Finn didn't fight them. "I suppose I should keep up my end of the bargain, huh?" The man tilted his head to the side and threw Rachel forward. "Get out of here while I'm still in a good mood."

Rachel fell on her face, her bound hands unable to catch herself. Finn grabbed her before she hit the ground. "Rachel!" his hands roamed over her face before pulling her into a hug, she dug her face into his neck and sobbed. "Rachel! I can't believe you're okay."

"Let's get out of here!" she hissed into his neck.

He nodded and picked her up bridal style. "Let's go." They had only made a few steps forward when the cops came out of their hiding spaces and surrounded the gang.

"I knew you would do this," the leader said, shaking his head as he took out his gun and began open firing on anyone in his path.

Rachel cowered into Finn's chest, afraid they'd get hit by a bullet, too. She felt a sting in her thigh as Finn jerked forward. Frowning, she looked down and saw that she had been shot, but the bullet had come out of Finn's side. His face contorted in agony as he dropped to his knees, setting Rachel down gently.

"Finn!" Rachel cried, struggling against her bounds. He needed her to get him out of there. His side was bleeding profusely, and if she didn't get some pressure on it, he wouldn't last. She finally got her hands free, albeit after making her wrists bleed. She grabbed Finn by the shoulders and pulled him up onto his feet. "Lean on me!" she told him.

And he did just that, and she struggled to make it towards the trees where they'd be sheltered from the bullets until things calmed down. The leg with the bullet in it throbbed, and she wanted to fall down, too, but Finn needed her to be strong right now. "Rachel!" she heard a voice calling her from up ahead. Looking up, she saw Puck and Jesse running towards them. They got to her side and grabbed Finn, carrying him for her.

His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't dead. He'd survive this. The bullet wound should have missed any vital organs. But then, why wasn't he opening his eyes as she called out his name over and over again?

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>When Finn opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a white ceiling. Moving his head, he found the walls to be white, and as he focused more on the room, he saw that he was in a hospital room. Puck was sitting in the chair by the window, texting on his phone. Machine were hooked up to Finn, monitoring his breathing and blood pressure.<p>

"What's going on?" Finn asked Puck, whose head jerked up at the sound of Finn's voice.

"Thank God you're ok, man!" Puck said, standing up and rushing to his side. "We were a little worried. You lost a lot of blood. "

"What about Rachel? Where is she?" Finn asked, panic stricken.

"Relax, dude, she's fine. They removed the bullet from her leg, and she needed some stitches from where it looks like they stabbed her in the leg, but she's fine. Resting in the other room. And, the baby is fine, too," Puck explained, leaning against the bed.

"So, she was pregnant," Finn mused. After a second, he looked up, "What about-"

"The police had a few snipers stationed around the area and they took 'em out. They won't be bothering Rachel again. You guys are safe and sound and will now be able to get married and live happily ever after with your children," Puck smiled down at his injured friend, glad that this nightmare was over for him. "And, the money has already been returned to everyone. So, no worries about that. I took care of it. Most of them are in Rachel's room right now since she's awake."

A knock on the door made them look up. It was Mr. Shuester. "Want to go see her? She's been asking about you nonstop," he told him with a smile.

Finn nodded his head. "Of course I do!"

A wheelchair and several painful moments of getting Finn into said chair, and Puck and Mr. Shuester were wheeling Finn down the hall towards his most important person's room. The door was open, and they could hear chatter coming from inside. When Finn was wheeled into the doorway, no one noticed him, their backs to the door.

Santana, Brittany, Mercedes, and Tina were on one side of the bed while Kurt, Blaine, Artie, Sam, and Jesse were on other side. They looked so happy and relieved. It was nice that the whole glee club could be here right now after such a traumatic moment. They always seemed to get through the biggest parts of their lives together.

Finn cleared his throat rather loudly, but when that didn't get their attention, Will cut in, "Guys, I think we should let them be alone."

Everyone's head whipped around and stared at Finn. Finn was only interested in one of them at the moment, and wheeled himself over to the bed and took her hand. "I'm just glad you're okay," he told her.

Rachel smiled, putting her free hand on her stomach. "I'm glad all three of us are."

Finn smiled as only a proud father can. "Me, too." He got up out of the chair painfully, but he wanted to give her a kiss and no amount of pain was going to keep him from her.

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><p>I'll do an epilogue if you all want me to. Let me know! J<p>

**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 17: Epligue

I just want to take the time out to say you guys are so awesome! I wasn't really sure where this story was going to go when I began writing it. But, you all are so inspirational, and it pushed me to keep writing. I have to admit this epilogue was difficult for me to do. I wanted this to be great! But, I kept having to start over because I didn't think it was good enough. Then, writer's block hit. It usually does when I don't have any more ideas for any stories. But, this is what came out of it, and I hope you all approve.

Which, brings me to my next point. I will take requests if any of you want something written. IT doesn't have to be just for Glee if you have other stories you'd like me to write. :)

If you all want a sequel, you'll need to give me ideas for plots and the like. I don't have any at the moment, but I've gotten more than one person saying they want a sequel. Hopefully this darn block goes away so I can come up with something decent.

Thank you guys so much for following this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts got my creative juices a flowing. I hope this just as good! Please leave a review; it makes me want to update quicker. I hope you enjoy this!

_Anything in italics is a flashback._

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><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**Epilogue**

"Finn, could you grab her for me?" Rachel asked as she searched for her keys. Where had she put them? Ryder got a hold of them no doubt when he was playing speed racers with Finn earlier. Smiling to herself, she went into Ryder's room, where they had been playing, and sure enough; there were the keys laying on his bed.

Emerging from the room, she grabbed her purse and the kids' bags. For the next week, they would be staying at their Grandpas Berrys' house. The wedding was tomorrow, and Finn and Rachel needed to have the kids with someone while they went through the rehearsal dinner and then the wedding tomorrow and then their honeymoon in Jamaica after that.

"Ready?" she asked as she found Finn holding a sleeping Lillian in one arm and Ryder holding onto his free hand. Rachel smiled and knew she would never get tired of this sight. They would be the perfect family together; she just knew it. There wasn't a doubt in her mind.

"I have been for the last year and a half now," Finn told her sarcastically, a grin planted on his face as he followed Rachel out of the house.

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><p>~.~<p>

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><p>Finn stood at the alter as the piano played the usual procession Wedding March. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were walking down the aisles together. Kurt, Finn's best man, was walking down with Mercedes, Rachel's maid of honor. It was hard for her to pick a maid of honor. She didn't have any sisters to choose from, and of all the glee girls, Rachel respected Mercedes the most.<p>

Then, came Brittany and Jesse, Tina and Mike, Lauren and Puck, Quinn and Sam, Santana and Artie. The whole Glee club was to be a part of the wedding. Jesse couldn't not be a part of the wedding. He had been such a good friend throughout the whole ordeal. He meant a lot to Rachel. Without him, Finn wasn't even sure Rachel would be alive. Quinn had been invited because she had patched things up with Finn and Rachel shortly after Lillian was born and Rachel was still in the hospital.

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><p><em>Finn looked up at the knocking on the door, wondering who it could be. He had only stopped home for a moment to change his clothes. Opening the door, he found Quinn on the other side. "Quinn, come inside. I'm just grabbing some stuff to bring back to the hospital." He let her in as he went back into the living room to finish grabbing his stuff. <em>

"_How's Rachel?" she asked him as she followed him inside._

"_She's just resting right now. Lillian is just fine, too," Finn said, a small smile appearing on his lips. He couldn't help but smile every time he thought of them._

_Quinn leaned against the doorframe. "You really love her, don't you?"_

_Finn stopped what he was doing and stood up. "I do," he nodded. _

_Quinn nodded. "After everything that has happened, I don't want to add to your problems. I want to apologize for how I have acted. Sam and I had a long talk the other night and worked out a lot of our problems. I was foolish in what I did. I'm sorry," she said._

_Finn smiled down at her, "That means a lot. Thanks, Quinn."_

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><p>Pride welled up in Finn as he watched his wife walk down the aisle towards him. She was the most gorgeous woman in all the world to him. Sure, she talked a lot, and spoke all of her opinions too much, and maybe she was a little overbearing, but he wouldn't want to be with any other person.<p>

His proposal hadn't been the most impressive ever. He had proposed as soon as Lillian had been born. Finn had been holding her hand in the delivery room, praising her on how well she had done. Finn was sad thinking about how she had done this all alone with Ryder.

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><p>"<em>You did great, Rach," Finn kissed her hand gently.<em>

_Rachel smiled weakly up at him, accomplishment and pride written all over her face. "I think she looked more like you."_

_Finn chuckled, "But, she had your gorgeous eyes." He kissed her on the forehead now, and it was at that moment that he knew he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. Maybe he always knew that, but he just now understood to the fullest extent his true feelings for her. _

"_What is it?" Rachel asked when his expression changed so suddenly. _

_Finn looked down at her, love emanating out of his eyes. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rachel. I want to be a family together. I want to be there for Lillian, for Ryder, and for you always and forever."_

"_Are you asking me to marry you?" Rachel asked hopefully._

"_I'm asking if you want to begin your life with me? Do you love me? Do you want to wake up every morning at my side?" Finn asked her._

_Rachel nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, yes I do!" she exclaimed as she used her free hand to pull on his shirt and bring him down to her lips._

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><p>Rachel was at his side now, smiling brightly up at Finn. She was a vision in white. She couldn't look any more perfect to him. Her dress was simple, yet elegant, just like her. Her hair was done up in some cute, messy, updo. The veil hiding her face, the red bouquet in her hands vibrant against the white dress.<p>

It was a Jewish wedding, just as Rachel had wanted. Finn didn't really have a religion that he felt real strongly about, so he didn't mind. Whatever Rachel wanted, she got. As long as she was happy, he was happy.

Rachel and Finn looked out at the crowd, familiar faces staring up at them. He found the Berry's with Ryder and Lillian sitting next to his mom and Burt. Smiling at them, he looked back at Rachel.

"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully, wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?"

Finn looked down at Rachel. "I do, forever and always." He meant it. Nothing would keep them apart.

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><p>That's the end! Really short, I know, and I'm sorry! But, I hope you like it just the same. Feedback on what I discussed in the beginning would be much appreciated! Thank you all so much!<strong><br>**

**Please Review!**


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